DNB Asset Management AS Raises Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

DNB Asset Management AS lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 89.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,168 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,435 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,627,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 30.4% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 936 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 14.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,181 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $11,165,000 after acquiring an additional 4,869 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in AeroVironment by 60.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company statement says it is in active negotiations with the U.S. Space Force on a contract amendment tied to the SCAR ground-station program — an outcome that could preserve a major revenue stream. AV Issues Statement Regarding Active Negotiations for Contract Amendment
• Positive Sentiment: Defense-sector tailwinds and heightened geopolitical tensions (Middle East) have lifted peer stocks and boosted demand expectations for AeroVironment’s drones and tactical systems. That macro support is a likely contributor to today’s uplift. Why Is AeroVironment Stock Soaring Tuesday?
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying business momentum remains strong: recent commentary and filings point to very high revenue growth and record contract awards (management previously reported $3.5B in contract wins and major Y/Y revenue gains), which supports upside if margins and EPS recover. Defense Stocks Are Soaring—AeroVironment’s Earnings Could Close the Gap
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets (Royal Bank of Canada, Baird, Piper Sandler) but left bullish ratings in place — mixed signal: analysts trimmed near-term expectations while still showing meaningful upside. RBC cuts price target on AeroVironment
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in public feeds showed odd/zero figures for early March (likely a data glitch); it doesn’t appear to explain the moves. (Monitor official exchange/CBOE short-interest releases for confirmation.)
• Negative Sentiment: Raymond James downgraded AVAV to Underperform, citing increased risk after the Space Force said it would broaden suppliers and open a rebid for mobile ground stations — that triggered a sharp selloff earlier in the week. Raymond James Downgrades AeroVironment
• Negative Sentiment: Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares recently (Form 4 filed), a small insider sale but typically watched by investors during volatile periods. SEC Form 4 (Page sale)
• Negative Sentiment: Market volatility around the Space Force rebid and analyst downgrades increases near-term execution risk — keep an eye on the company’s upcoming earnings and any formal award/contract updates for SCAR. AeroVironment Tumbles 17% as Space Force Eyes More Mobile Ground Suppliers

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,589 shares of company stock worth $1,428,910. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $228.30 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -182.64, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.25 and a 52 week high of $417.86. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $286.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.73.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). The business had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. Research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVAV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $330.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $375.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.33.

AeroVironment Company 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.