Rhumbline Advisers Has $31.37 Million Stock Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 50.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 99,619 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 33,409 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.20% of AeroVironment worth $31,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $583,000. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,290,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,898 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 18.8% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,662 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,468,000 after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the period. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in AeroVironment by 2.9% during the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $656,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Army deployed AVAV’s LOCUST counter‑drone laser near El Paso, triggering a temporary seven‑hour airspace shutdown — strong product validation and a high‑profile fielding by a major customer that can support future contract wins and revenue visibility. Exclusive: AeroVironment’s LOCUST counter-drone laser used by US Army near El Paso airport, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” view and put a $400 price target on AVAV — a sizable upside that can attract buyers and help underpin the rally if follow‑through on defense program wins continues. Benzinga / TickerReport note on analyst reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest filings for mid‑February show “0” shorted shares and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover figure — this appears to be a reporting anomaly rather than a meaningful change in short positions and should not be interpreted as a shift in short‑seller sentiment. (No reliable source link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Kevin McDonnell sold 879 shares (~5% reduction in his disclosed holding), a transaction disclosed to the SEC. Media coverage tied the sale to a near‑term price pullback (some outlets reported ~7.5% weakness after the sale), which can amplify short‑term selling pressure and investor caution. AeroVironment Stock Price Down 7.5% Following Insider Selling SEC Form 4 (CFO sale)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 3,589 shares of company stock valued at $1,157,685 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $243.87 on Monday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.25 and a 52 week high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $284.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $293.95. The firm has a market cap of $12.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -195.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.23.

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