Geode Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 71,903 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $213,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment announced a $15 million expansion of advanced production capabilities in Ohio, a move that could support future growth and reinforce its domestic manufacturing base. AV to Expand Advanced Production Capabilities in Dayton Area
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted AeroVironment as a possible beneficiary of the broader defense-tech surge, reflecting continued investor interest in the sector. Top 5 Stocks That Will Profit From the Silicon Valley Defense Tech Surge
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said a class action lawsuit has been filed against AeroVironment and certain officers, adding another legal overhang for the shares. Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against AeroVironment, Inc. and Certain Officers – AVAV
• Negative Sentiment: Several other firms, including Frank R. Cruz, Schall, Bernstein Liebhard, Robbins Geller, Rosen, Faruqi & Faruqi, and Levi & Korsinsky, issued reminders or investor alerts tied to the same AVAV securities class action, keeping legal risk front and center for investors. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges AeroVironment, Inc. Investors to Act: Class Action Filed Alleging Investor Harm

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AeroVironment stock opened at $204.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a PE ratio of -47.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.35. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.00 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The company has a quick ratio of 4.54, a current ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $185.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $241.01.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.AeroVironment’s revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.31, for a total value of $40,577.50. Following the sale, the director owned 49,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,993,929.81. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 1,346 shares of company stock valued at $274,456 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment 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.