Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Purchases Shares of 156,387 AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 156,387 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,815,000. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. owned 0.31% of AeroVironment at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $419,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $437,000. Mount Lucas Management LP acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $150,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $2,059,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $244,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total transaction of $47,995.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 48,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,311,605.94. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 705 shares of company stock worth $132,979 over the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $172.74 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $162.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $191.61. 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 cap of $8.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -46.94, a PEG ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.41. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $135.20 and a 1-year high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $555.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wedbush assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.