Federated Hermes Inc. Purchases New Stake in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,344 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $738,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 550.7% in 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. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in AeroVironment by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares during the period. Rheos Capital Works Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $109,267,000 after acquiring an additional 4,745 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth $273,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.06.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Up 8.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $257.20 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $286.98 and a 200-day moving average of $294.21. The company has a market capitalization of $12.84 billion, a PE ratio of -205.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $417.86.

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

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.