Securian Asset Management Inc. Invests $764,000 in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Securian Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,425 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $764,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 296.0% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 99 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 60.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in AeroVironment by 5,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on AVAV shares. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price objective on AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on AeroVironment from $295.00 to $389.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.41.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major U.S. Army drone award flow and contract wins are being cited as the primary catalyst lifting sentiment and volumes; media coverage highlights a cluster of Army awards that materially improve AVAV’s addressable backlog and growth outlook. AeroVironment (AVAV) Is Up 31.7% After Major U.S. Army Drone Awards Has The Bull Case Changed?
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its Buy rating on AVAV, supporting investor confidence and reinforcing the bullish narrative from sell?side coverage. Piper Sandler Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on AeroVironment (AVAV)
• Positive Sentiment: Partner win: Parry Labs will integrate MOSA-aligned mission systems into AV’s P550 UAS for the Army’s Long Range Reconnaissance program, strengthening AVAV’s product competitiveness on key military programs. Parry Labs Advances Modular Mission Systems in AV’s P550™ for Army LRR Program
• Positive Sentiment: Recent Wall Street starts and upgrades (e.g., KeyBanc/other coverage) underline continued institutional interest in AVAV’s defense/leverage story. Where is AeroVironment (AVAV) Headed According to Wall Street?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market conversation on valuation: several commentaries ask whether the run (roughly +100% over 1 year) leaves AVAV overvalued, prompting some profit?taking and debate about upside from here. Is It Too Late To Consider AeroVironment (AVAV) After A 111% One-Year Surge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large call-option activity was reported, indicating speculative or hedged bullish positioning that likely amplified intraday moves.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution and downgrades: at least one note argued AVAV is “flying too high” and trimmed ratings/targets, which could cap near-term upside if revisions accelerate. AeroVironment: This Drone Stock Is Flying Too High (Rating Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/investor risk: Pomerantz launched an investor investigation into AVAV, adding regulatory/legal overhang that could pressure sentiment if it develops. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Aerovironment, Inc. – AVAV
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental caution: AVAV’s Dec. quarterly report missed EPS expectations (though revenue grew sharply) and the company trimmed prior guidance, a backdrop that some investors cite when judging sustainability of the rally.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV opened at $364.99 on Friday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The stock has a market cap of $18.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -291.99, a PEG ratio of 5.39 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50 day moving average of $282.00 and a 200-day moving average of $286.13. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 513 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.46, for a total transaction of $170,038.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,235,094.06. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 1,224 shares of company stock worth $347,651 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

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.