BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $70.07 Million Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lowered its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 64.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 289,685 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 522,456 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in AeroVironment were worth $70,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $314,890,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $99,416,000 after acquiring an additional 314,448 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $63,185,000 after acquiring an additional 260,072 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 3,880.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 206,607 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $65,058,000 after acquiring an additional 201,417 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $204.09 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51. The company has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of -47.03, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.35. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.00 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $241.01.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The firm had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, Faruqi & Faruqi, Robbins LLP, Schall, and Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, announced or reminded investors about a class action lawsuit against AeroVironment covering purchases between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026, with a lead-plaintiff deadline of July 27, 2026. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuit allegations center on claims that AeroVironment misled investors about the profitability and viability of its SCAR program and related business risks, which could pressure the stock if investors fear further legal fallout or reputational damage. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One market commentary noted that AeroVironment has benefited recently from major U.S. government contract wins and expansion plans, including a $20 million Air Force Research Laboratory contract and a $20.2 million investment to expand missile production capacity, which helps explain why the stock has had strong recent momentum. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This represents a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer 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 ninety days, insiders sold 1,346 shares of company stock valued at $274,456. 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.