Baillie Gifford & Co. Has $561.66 Million Stock Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Baillie Gifford & Co. lowered its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 8.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,783,679 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 155,019 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 3.57% of AeroVironment worth $561,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $991,089,000 after acquiring an additional 433,830 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $75,690,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $173,540,000 after purchasing an additional 262,239 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 550.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $56,115,000 after buying an additional 150,819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 54.0% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 398,772 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $113,630,000 after buying an additional 139,880 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $307.75 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.37 billion, a PE ratio of -246.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $286.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.82.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s 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 $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Product/market development — AeroVironment launched a new mission specialist called “Wraith,” which could expand its product lineup and address new defense use cases if it wins contracts or follow‑on orders. AeroVironment (AVAV) launches mission specialist Wraith
• Neutral Sentiment: Market note — Coverage summary noting AVAV’s recent intraday decline and trading context; useful for short‑term price movement context but contains no new company‑specific catalyst. AeroVironment (AVAV) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary repeat — an outlet republishing Jim Cramer commentary; restates market views but adds little new information beyond broader sentiment on valuation. Jim Cramer Considers AeroVironment “Incredibly Expensive at These Levels” (InsiderMonkey)
• Negative Sentiment: Contract/operational disruption — a stop‑work order was issued related to SCAR antennas, introducing execution risk, schedule delays and potential revenue/penalty exposure if unresolved. That type of operational hit tends to weigh on defense suppliers. Stop Work Order Issued To AeroVironment For SCAR Antennas
• Negative Sentiment: High‑profile negative commentary — Jim Cramer called AVAV “incredibly expensive,” a view that can amplify selling pressure when echoed across media and retail channels. Jim Cramer Considers AeroVironment “Incredibly Expensive at These Levels”
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty — reporting that a revised U.S. military contract prompted a share crash this week. Contract revisions can reduce near‑term revenue visibility and raise concerns about margins or delivery timing. Why Shares of AeroVironment Stock Crashed This Week
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation risk — Pomerantz law firm announced an investigation on behalf of AVAV investors, increasing legal and disclosure risk that can pressure shares. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Aerovironment, Inc. – AVAV
• Negative Sentiment: Additional securities‑law probe — Kaplan Fox also alerted investors to an investigation into possible securities violations, compounding legal overhang. Kaplan Fox Alerts Investors of AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) to an Investigation of Possible Securities Law Violations

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AVAV. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut 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. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, November 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.41.

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.