NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 04:19 ET — Market closed
- AeroVironment shares last closed up 5.8% at $256.19 on Friday.
- A Form 4 filing showed Chief Accounting Officer Brian Shackley sold 200 shares under a 10b5-1 plan.
- Traders are watching Middle East headlines and key U.S. data due this week.
Shares of AeroVironment Inc (AVAV.O) ended Friday up 5.8% at $256.19, leading gains in U.S. defense names. The stock traded between $241.81 and $257.89 in the session, with about 940,000 shares changing hands.
The move matters now because investors have been treating smaller defense-technology companies as a fast-twitch read on geopolitical risk and the Pentagon’s growing focus on unmanned systems, where procurement can shift quickly with events.
That sensitivity can cut both ways. A calm news cycle can drain the bid from defense trades just as quickly as it arrived, leaving momentum-driven names vulnerable into the next open.
A late-week lift in defense shares came as U.S.-Iran tensions sharpened after President Donald Trump threatened to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces used lethal force, Reuters reported. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the country would not yield to foreign pressure, according to a separate Reuters report. 1
Other defense stocks also advanced alongside AeroVironment in Friday’s move, including Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Lockheed Martin and RTX, according to market commentary. 2
Separately, a regulatory filing showed Chief Accounting Officer Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares on Dec. 30 at $250.92 per share, leaving him with 5,994 shares. The filing said the sale was made under a Rule 10b5-1 plan — a pre-arranged program that schedules trades in advance. 3
The transaction was small relative to the company’s market value and came with the plan disclosure, which investors often view as a routine feature of executive trading.
AeroVironment describes itself as a defense technology company spanning autonomous systems and precision strike capabilities, alongside counter-drone and space-related technologies. In its latest quarterly update in December, the company forecast fiscal 2026 revenue of $1.95 billion to $2.0 billion and non-GAAP earnings of $3.40 to $3.55 per share. “AV is operating from a position of strength as evidenced by our record second quarter results,” CEO Wahid Nawabi said in that release. 4
Before the next session, investors will track Monday’s ISM manufacturing survey, due at 10:00 a.m. ET, a widely watched gauge of factory activity released on the first business day of the month. Friday’s U.S. employment report for December is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. 5
For AVAV, chart watchers will look at Friday’s $241.81 low as near-term support and the $257.89 high as a first resistance level as markets reopen.
