Swedbank AB Increases Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its AeroVironment stake by 4.6% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 273,349 shares valued at about $50.0 million.
• AeroVironment reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $1.84 EPS versus the $1.47 estimate and revenue of $641.62 million, up 133.3% year over year.
• Despite the solid results, the stock faces mixed sentiment: analysts still see upside with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and $277.37 target, but concerns remain around legal issues and softer FY2027 profit guidance.

Swedbank AB increased its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 273,349 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,135 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.55% of AeroVironment worth $50,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. F m Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,775,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $94,655,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $213,956,000 after acquiring an additional 71,903 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 92.2% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $5,168,000 after acquiring an additional 9,675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 289.9% during the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $53,714,000 after acquiring an additional 165,106 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $162.53 on Wednesday. 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's 50-day moving average price is $173.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.57. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $135.20 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.39.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The business had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. The business's revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current year.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a $500 million IDIQ contract for the JIATF-401 Domestic Shield program and an additional $80.5 million Titan MS order, plus a $30.9 million Puma system contract for Germany’s LARUS program, underscoring continued demand for its counter-UAS and unmanned systems. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $210 price target, suggesting analysts still see upside from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary notes that the stock’s sharp post-earnings rally may have invited profit-taking, even though fiscal Q4 results were strong and revenue jumped sharply year over year. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or promoted class action lawsuits tied to alleged securities-law violations and the SCAR contract controversy, which keeps legal risk front and center for investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also reacting to concerns about lighter-than-expected FY2027 profit guidance and lingering issues around contract timing, accounting restatement disclosures, and execution after the BlueHalo deal. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wolfe Research cut shares of AeroVironment to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised AeroVironment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $277.37.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 750 shares of company stock valued at $133,502 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

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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