40,736 Shares in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Purchased by Granahan Investment Management LLC

Granahan Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 40,736 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,457,000. Granahan Investment Management LLC owned about 0.08% of AeroVironment as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $94,655,000. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $63,185,000 after acquiring an additional 260,072 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 4,770.1% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 260,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $62,941,000 after acquiring an additional 254,864 shares in the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 48.4% in the 4th quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $174,681,000 after acquiring an additional 235,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 3,880.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 206,607 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $65,058,000 after acquiring an additional 201,417 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms reiterated the approaching July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in the AVAV securities class action, keeping AeroVironment in the news and highlighting ongoing legal overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also saw another round of short-interest commentary, but the filing reported zero shares short, so it does not appear to add meaningful new pressure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment recently scored a new Army contract, and investors have also been encouraged by strong defense-program momentum, which supports the long-term revenue outlook even as the stock trades lower near term. Article Title

AeroVironment Trading Down 5.8%

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $149.51 on Friday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.20 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $166.78 and its 200 day moving average is $213.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 1.39.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The business had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $295.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 26th. Wolfe Research cut AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.68.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

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.