Rokos Capital Management LLP Makes New $2.50 Million Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Rokos Capital Management acquired 13,677 AeroVironment shares worth approximately $2.5 million in the first quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 86.38% of AVAV.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $266.68, although several firms recently lowered their targets.
• AeroVironment reported quarterly EPS of $1.84 versus estimates of $1.47, while revenue rose 133.3% year over year to $641.62 million. Shares opened at $154.24, well below their 52-week high of $417.86.

Rokos Capital Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 13,677 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $2,504,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. F m Investments LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,775,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,655,000. MYDA Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,628,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 92.2% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,168,000 after acquiring an additional 9,675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 289.9% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $53,714,000 after purchasing an additional 165,106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AVAV. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $295.00 to $220.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Up 3.2%

NASDAQ AVAV opened at $154.24 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $166.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.71. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $7.81 billion, a PE ratio of -41.91, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.39. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52 week low of $135.20 and a 52 week high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The firm had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $555.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. AeroVironment's quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About AeroVironment

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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