Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Sells 104,197 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Stephens Investment Management Group cut its AeroVironment stake by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 104,197 shares and leaving it with 412,807 shares valued at about $99.9 million.
• AeroVironment reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $0.64 missing estimates and revenue of $408.05 million below expectations, though revenue still rose 143.4% year over year.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mostly positive despite recent target cuts, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $318.78; the stock last traded near $158, well below prior highs.

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 20.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 412,807 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 104,197 shares during the quarter. AeroVironment accounts for 1.3% of Stephens Investment Management Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned 0.83% of AeroVironment worth $99,854,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AVAV. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 28.9% during the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 400,457 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $126,100,000 after acquiring an additional 89,697 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $2,393,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 550.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $56,115,000 after acquiring an additional 150,819 shares during the last quarter. F m Investments LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,775,000. Finally, Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,355,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV opened at $158.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.00 and a 1-year high of $417.86. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $193.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $255.37.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.95, for a total value of $127,475.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,501 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,875,229.95. This represents a 0.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,096 shares of company stock valued at $505,103. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on AVAV. Wall Street Zen upgraded AeroVironment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. BTIG Research lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $318.78.

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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