Flputnam Investment Management Co. Makes New $1.17 Million Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Flputnam Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,067 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,167,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AVAV. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth about $285,000. American Century Companies Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at about $633,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 5,200.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in AeroVironment by 0.4% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 24,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,892,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

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 shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Down 6.1%

Shares of AVAV opened at $181.13 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $162.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.39. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.20 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a PE ratio of -49.22, a PEG ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.