Peregrine Investment Management Inc. Buys Shares of 40,000 AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Peregrine Investment Management bought 40,000 shares of AeroVironment in Q1 (~$7.32M), making the position about 5.8% of Peregrine’s portfolio and AVAV its sixth-largest holding; the purchase represented roughly 0.08% of AeroVironment outstanding.
• AeroVironment's most recent quarter missed expectations—EPS $0.64 vs. $0.68 and revenue $408.05M vs. $487.94M—though revenue rose 143.4% year‑over‑year, and management set FY2026 guidance of 2.75–3.10 EPS (consensus 2.94).
• Analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with a target of $318.78, despite several recent target cuts; the stock traded at $203.92 (down 2.9%), with a market cap around $10.18B and a negative P/E.

Peregrine Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 40,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $7,322,000. AeroVironment accounts for about 5.8% of Peregrine Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Peregrine Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of AeroVironment at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in AeroVironment by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,111,585,000 after purchasing an additional 51,959 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $314,890,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $213,956,000 after buying an additional 71,903 shares during the period. Heard Capital LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 48.4% during the 4th quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $174,681,000 after buying an additional 235,685 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $216,101,000 after buying an additional 101,713 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AVAV. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 12th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. BTIG Research cut their target price on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research cut AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at $3,598,638.30. The trade was a 2.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 2,975 shares of company stock worth $740,324 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Stock Down 2.9%

NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $6.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $203.92. 171,289 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,715,189. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $214.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $276.93. The company has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a PE ratio of -46.67, a PEG ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 4.54, a current ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment, Inc. has a one year low of $142.20 and a one year high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc NASDAQ: AVAV is a technology company specializing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), tactical missiles and precision loitering munitions, electric vehicle charging and scalable energy systems. Headquartered in Monrovia, California, the company develops solutions for defense, public safety and commercial markets. Their offerings include small UAS for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as advanced weapons systems designed to meet the needs of modern military operations.

The company's unmanned aerial systems portfolio features platforms such as the Raven, Puma and Switchblade series, which are deployed by the U.S.

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