Citigroup Inc. Raises Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 40.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 91,385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 26,333 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned approximately 0.18% of AeroVironment worth $28,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 60.0% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $255.22 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $286.99 and a 200 day moving average of $293.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $417.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.74 billion, a PE ratio of -204.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $367.00.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was 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 directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 4,339 shares of company stock worth $1,353,910 over the last quarter. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.