Pinnacle Associates Ltd. Reduces Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. reduced its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,630 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 17,153 shares during the quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $18,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% during the third 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. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $29,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AVAV shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AVAV opened at $160.99 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $195.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $257.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.00 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.04 billion, a PE ratio of -37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.35.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results 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 positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The company had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment’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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,096 shares of company stock valued at $505,103. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Summary

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 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.