Freemont Management S.A. Increases Stock Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Freemont Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 200.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,300 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,200 shares during the quarter. Freemont Management S.A.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter worth approximately $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter worth approximately $285,000. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter worth approximately $633,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 5,200.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 0.4% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 24,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,892,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.95, for a total value of $127,475.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,875,229.95. The trade was a 0.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,096 shares of company stock valued at $505,103. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a three-year, $43 million Department of War contract to integrate its PANTHER phased-array antenna system on SkyRange platforms, expanding its role in hypersonic telemetry and weapons-testing infrastructure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also secured an Army prototype agreement for the Switchblade 400 under the LASSO program, reinforcing demand for its loitering munition systems and broader defense portfolio. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management is emphasizing AI-enabled multi-domain autonomy, including Kinesis command software and MacCready Works, which could support future growth in coordinated defense missions. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: AVAV presented at the Bank of America Industrials, Transportation and Airlines Key Leaders Conference, which may have helped keep investors focused on the company’s strategy, but no major new catalyst was disclosed. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary has flagged AVAV as technically weak and potentially headed toward new 52-week lows, reflecting bearish sentiment around the shares. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has also been weighed by the company’s latest earnings report, which missed revenue and EPS expectations, reinforcing concerns about near-term execution despite strong year-over-year growth.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $160.99 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.00 and a 1-year high of $417.86. The company has a market capitalization of $8.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $195.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $257.55.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.78.

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.