NFJ Investment Group LLC Invests $3.35 Million in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group LLC has invested approximately $3.35 million in AeroVironment, acquiring 28,127 shares and representing 0.10% ownership in the company.
• AeroVironment reported strong quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $1.61, exceeding analyst expectations and showing a 39.6% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in AeroVironment, with 86.38% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors.

NFJ Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 28,127 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $3,352,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned about 0.10% of AeroVironment as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in AeroVironment by 281.6% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 430,307 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $51,288,000 after buying an additional 317,530 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in AeroVironment by 48.2% during the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 902,814 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $107,606,000 after buying an additional 293,553 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 41.0% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $91,000,000 after purchasing an additional 221,948 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $23,501,000. Finally, Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $16,802,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total transaction of $4,550,765.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,153,390.65. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AeroVironment stock traded down $0.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $226.08. The company had a trading volume of 774,088 shares, compared to its average volume of 684,793. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $253.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $190.47. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $295.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.29 billion, a PE ratio of 145.86 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a current ratio of 3.52.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 24th. The aerospace company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. AeroVironment had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The firm had revenue of $275.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $242.69 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, August 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $335.00 target price for the company. Citigroup began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, August 4th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $225.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $292.33.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses in the United States and internationally. It operates through Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), Tactical Missile System (TMS), Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS), and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Systems (HAPS) segments.