AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Position Boosted by Congress Asset Management Co.

Congress Asset Management Co. grew its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 595,134 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 99,494 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $84,640,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $574,566,000. Heard Capital LLC lifted its position in AeroVironment by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $174,681,000 after buying an additional 235,685 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its position in AeroVironment by 18.8% during the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 490,426 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $89,772,000 after buying an additional 77,619 shares in the last quarter. American Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $69,745,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $67,549,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Switchblade demand and backlog support future revenue. AeroVironment has secured major military contracts for its Switchblade loitering munition systems. At the end of fiscal 2027’s first quarter, the company reported approximately $1.5 billion in funded backlog and another $1.4 billion in unfunded backlog, providing substantial potential revenue visibility. Should Investors Buy the Dip in AeroVironment or Wait for Profitability?
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reiterated its bullish view. Analyst Andre Madrid maintained a Buy rating and a $205 price target, citing strength in directed-energy and counter-drone systems. The target implies meaningful upside from the stock’s recent trading level and reinforces the investment case around next-generation defense technologies. AeroVironment Maintained at Buy with $205 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation comparisons favor AeroVironment’s established defense position. Commentary contrasting AeroVironment with smaller drone company Ondas emphasized AVAV’s larger revenue base, stronger defense-contracting credentials and more established customer relationships. A separate report cited a consensus price target of $231.89. AeroVironment Consensus Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over the timing of profitability. Although recent earnings exceeded expectations, AeroVironment continues to report a negative net margin and negative price-to-earnings ratio. The key question is whether backlog growth and defense demand can translate into sustainable profits before valuation concerns intensify. Should Investors Buy the Dip in AeroVironment or Wait for Profitability?

AeroVironment Stock Up 3.0%

NASDAQ AVAV traded up $4.24 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $143.54. 1,574,753 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,670,916. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of -61.34, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.20 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $157.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.56.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.04% and a negative net margin of 5.77%.The business had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $451.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $229.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. UBS Group raised their price objective on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $225.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered AeroVironment from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.37.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total transaction of $38,067.50. Following the sale, the director owned 48,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,347,484.31. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671 over the last quarter. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and supplies autonomous systems, uncrewed aircraft, loitering munitions and counter-uncrewed-aircraft systems. Its portfolio includes small unmanned aircraft systems such as Raven, Puma and Wasp, as well as larger platforms including JUMP 20 and Quantix Recon.

The company is also known for its Switchblade family of loitering munitions, which combine surveillance, target identification and precision strike capabilities. AeroVironment provides related ground control systems, sensors, software, communications equipment, training and support services for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Founded in 1971 by aerospace engineer Paul B.