UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  July 18, 2014

 

AEROVIRONMENT, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware

 

001-33261

 

95-2705790

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(Commission File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

181 W. Huntington Drive, Suite 202

 

 

Monrovia, CA

 

91016

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (626) 357-9983

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

o            Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o            Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o            Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange ct (17 CFR 240.14d-2(B))

 

o            Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4c))

 



 

Item 7.01                                           Regulation FD Disclosure

 

On July 18, 2014, AeroVironment, Inc. announced that its chief executive officer and chairman of the board, Timothy E. Conver, as Trustee of The Conver Family Trust, has established a pre-arranged stock trading plan to sell a portion of company stock held by the Trust over a specific period of time. The stock trading plan is part of a long-term strategy for asset diversification and liquidity and was adopted in accordance with guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and AeroVironment’s policies with respect to employee stock transactions.  The public announcement was made by means of a press release, the text of which is set forth in Exhibit 99.1 hereto.

 

The information in this Current Report is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section.  The information in this Current Report shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other filing under the Securities Act of 1933, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

 

AeroVironment does not undertake to report other Rule 10b5-1 plans that may be adopted by any of its officers or directors in the future, or to report any modifications or termination of any publicly announced plan, except to the extent required by law.

 

Item 9.01.                                        Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

(d)                                 Exhibits.

 

Exhibit

 

 

Number

 

Description

99.1

 

Press Release dated July 18, 2014.

 

2



 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

AEROVIRONMENT, INC.

 

 

 

 

Date:    July 21, 2014

By:

/s/ Douglas E. Scott

 

Douglas E. Scott

 

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

 

3


Exhibit 99.1

 

 

AeroVironment Announces Establishment of 10b5-1 Trading Plan by Chief Executive Officer

 

MONROVIA, Calif., July 18, 2014AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) today announced that its chief executive officer and chairman of the board, Timothy E. Conver, as Trustee of The Conver Family Trust, has established a pre-arranged stock trading plan to sell a portion of company stock held by the Trust over a specific period of time.  The stock trading plan is part of a long-term strategy for asset diversification and liquidity and was adopted in accordance with guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and AeroVironment’s policies with respect to employee stock transactions.

 

Rule 10b5-1 allows corporate officers and directors to adopt written, pre-arranged stock trading plans when they do not have material, non-public information. Using these plans, insiders can diversify their investment portfolios, can spread stock trades out over an extended period of time to reduce market impact and can avoid concerns about whether they had material, non-public information when they sold their stock.

 

Under its Rule 10b5-1 Plan, the Trust may sell up to 320,000 shares over a period of approximately nine months. If the Trust completes all the planned sales under its Rule 10b5-1 Plan, Mr. Conver would beneficially own approximately 2,573,660 shares of AeroVironment common stock (including all options currently exercisable by Mr. Conver), or approximately 11.04% of the company’s current outstanding shares. The transactions under this plan will commence no earlier than September 2014 and will be disclosed publicly through Form 144 and Form 4 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Form 4 filings will also be posted on AeroVironment’s website.

 



 

ABOUT AEROVIRONMENT, INC.

 

AeroVironment is a technology solutions provider that designs, develops, produces, supports and operates an advanced portfolio of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and electric transportation solutions. The company’s electric-powered, hand-launched unmanned aircraft systems provide powerful actionable information to military, public safety and commercial personnel around the world through real-time, airborne imaging, sensing and communication.  AeroVironment’s electric transportation solutions include a comprehensive suite of electric vehicle (EV) charging systems, installation and network services for consumers, automakers, utilities and government agencies, power cycling and test systems for EV developers and industrial electric vehicle charging systems for commercial fleets.  More information about AeroVironment is available at www.avinc.com.

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” or words or phrases with similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, reliance on sales to the U.S. government; changes in the timing and/or amount of government spending; changes in the supply and/or demand and/or prices for our products and services; the activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; failure to expand into new markets; changes in significant operating expenses,

 



 

including components and raw materials; failure to develop new products; changes in the regulatory environment; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

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Contact:

AeroVironment, Inc.

Steven Gitlin

+1 (626) 357-9983

ir@avinc.com