Barclays PLC Increases Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 103,474 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,475 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.21% of AeroVironment worth $32,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 14.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $991,089,000 after buying an additional 433,830 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,690,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 75.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $173,540,000 after buying an additional 262,239 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 550.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $56,115,000 after buying an additional 150,819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rheos Capital Works Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $37,787,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AVAV shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $350.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. KeyCorp upped their price target on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.33.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue surged 143% year-over-year in the quarter, showing strong top-line growth despite the miss — a sign demand remains elevated for drone products. AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Misses Q4 CY2025 Sales Expectations, Stock Drops
• Positive Sentiment: Company is expanding counter-drone/C-UAS capabilities (Titan RF, AI sensing, kinetic interceptors), which could drive future contract opportunities as militaries boost C-UAS spending. How Is AeroVironment Expanding Its Counter-Drone Defense Capabilities?
• Neutral Sentiment: Press release and slide deck published with full Q3 details (adjusted EPS $0.64; GAAP loss due to impairment). Investors can review the deck for order timing and backlog details. AeroVironment Q3 Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 revenue ($408.05M) and adjusted EPS ($0.64) missed Street estimates; revenue shortfall and EPS miss drove the immediate negative reaction. AeroVironment (AVAV) Q3 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Company cut FY26 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.75–$3.10 (from $3.40–$3.55) and set revenue guidance around $1.9–$2.0B; guidance is below consensus and cited “timing issues,” amplifying investor concerns about near-term execution. AeroVironment Cuts Guidance, Says Timing Issues Hurt Results
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz announced an investor investigation into AVAV, which can increase legal risk and add to short-term volatility. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of AeroVironment, Inc.

AeroVironment Trading Down 2.5%

AVAV opened at $221.57 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $283.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. The firm has a market cap of $11.06 billion, a PE ratio of -177.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.08). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,078 shares of company stock valued at $1,301,482. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.