WINTON GROUP Ltd Takes Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd opened a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter, buying 17,123 shares worth about $4.14 million.
• Institutional interest remains high, with other funds such as ARK Investment Management and Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management also increasing their stakes; overall, 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• AeroVironment’s latest earnings missed analyst estimates on both EPS and revenue, and the stock was trading down about 9% amid additional pressure from securities class-action lawsuit headlines.

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 17,123 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $4,142,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 400,457 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $126,100,000 after purchasing an additional 89,697 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,393,000. F m Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,775,000. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,355,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 92.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 9,675 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Two investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $318.78.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or reiterated securities class-action claims against AeroVironment, saying investors who bought shares between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026 may pursue recovery, with a lead-plaintiff deadline of July 27, 2026. Article: AVAV Investors Have Opportunity to Lead AeroVironment, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit with the Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: The complaints allege AeroVironment and certain executives made false or misleading statements, including claims tied to the company’s $1.7 billion SCAR contract, which raises uncertainty and potential legal costs. Article: SueWallSt Reminds Shareholders of a Lead Plaintiff Deadline of July 27, 2026 in AeroVironment, Inc. Lawsuit - AVAV
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional firms, including Faruqi & Faruqi, Rosen, Pomerantz, Robbins Geller, Berger Montague, and others, issued investor alerts about the same lawsuit, extending the news flow but adding little new business information. Article: AVAV INVESTOR ACTION: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Reminds AeroVironment (AVAV) Investors of Securities Class Action Deadline on July 27, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: A market note also said AeroVironment and peer Kratos Defense were trading lower, likely reflecting broader weakness in defense-drone names alongside the lawsuit headlines. Article: AeroVironment and Kratos stocks trade down, what you need to know

AeroVironment Trading Down 9.0%

NASDAQ AVAV opened at $185.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $184.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $238.46. The company has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -42.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.35. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.00 and a 12 month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $53,130.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 49,751 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,573,082.52. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,346 shares of company stock valued at $274,456 in the last ninety days. 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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