Empowered Funds LLC Buys New Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 18,360 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,361,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. F m Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $1,775,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $94,655,000. MYDA Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $3,628,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 92.2% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,168,000 after buying an additional 9,675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 289.9% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,714,000 after buying an additional 165,106 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 6.6%

AVAV opened at $159.18 on Tuesday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.20 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of -43.26, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $164.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $204.60.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVAV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Wolfe Research cut AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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.