Ghisallo Capital Management LLC Makes New $62.98 Million Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Ghisallo Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 200,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,978,000. AeroVironment makes up 2.0% of Ghisallo Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AVAV. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in AeroVironment by 100.0% in 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. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $207.07 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $281.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $291.88. The company has a market cap of $10.34 billion, a PE ratio of -47.71, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 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 business had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $75,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 50,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,000,300. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on AVAV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an “underperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Underlying demand/backlog: Q3 revenue rose ~143% YoY and the company still reports a multi‑hundred‑million to billion‑level backlog that supports longer‑term revenue — a constructive backdrop if execution and contract timing normalize. Q3 revenue and backlog discussion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: despite trimming targets, many firms (BTIG, Jefferies, Canaccord and others) kept Buy/Outperform ratings, signalling expectations of mid/long‑term upside if AeroVironment regains program visibility and scales production. Analyst note summary (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings and guidance: Q3 results beat on some metrics (strong YoY revenue growth) but missed consensus on revenue and EPS; management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $2.75–$3.10, below street expectations — creates uncertainty but also sets clearer, more conservative targets. Q3 miss and guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Price‑target downgrades but ratings mixed: several shops cut targets (KeyBanc, Canaccord, BTIG, Jefferies) while mostly keeping Buy/Outperform stances — implies recalibrated expectations rather than broad conviction shift. KeyCorp target cut Canaccord note
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting in feeds shows anomalous/zero values (likely data error); no clear short squeeze signal from those items. Short interest entries (data anomaly)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares plunged after the Q3 miss and the outlook cut as investors punished reduced near‑term visibility and growth assumptions. Shares fall on Q3 miss
• Negative Sentiment: Contract risk: reports of SCAR/Space Force contract termination or timing disruptions remove material unfunded backlog (reports cite ~$1.4–1.7B), increasing near‑term revenue uncertainty and pressuring sentiment. SCAR contract and backlog risk
• Negative Sentiment: Financing/leverage risk: disclosure of a $727M notes issuance tightens covenants and raises leverage/liquidity risk — an added structural concern for investors already focused on visibility. Notes issuance risk
• Negative Sentiment: Headline/legal/insider risk: Pomerantz launched an investor probe and the CFO disclosed small share sales — both increase short‑term headline risk and may amplify volatility. Pomerantz investigation CFO Form 4

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.