Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $41.24 Million Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 10.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 225,276 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,114 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $41,237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AVAV. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 90.0% in the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $144.58 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of -39.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59. AeroVironment, Inc. has a one year low of $135.20 and a one year high of $417.86. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $171.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.60.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the sale, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 750 shares of company stock worth $133,502. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham, BTIG, and other analysts reiterated bullish ratings on AeroVironment, signaling continued confidence in the company’s long-term outlook. Analyst rating updates
• Positive Sentiment: One report highlighted strong fiscal Q4 results, including $642 million in revenue, 22% EBITDA margins, and a $2.7 billion backlog, suggesting solid operational execution. MarketBeat article
• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment was said to win a German drone order, which supports the company’s pipeline but does not by itself change the bigger valuation debate. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued reminders about the July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in the AVAV securities class action, keeping legal risk in focus. Rosen Law Firm deadline reminder
• Negative Sentiment: RBC downgraded AeroVironment to Hold and cut its price target, citing skepticism about the company’s aggressive growth targets. RBC downgrade article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday. Finally, Clear Str upgraded AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.68.

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.