TLDRBigBear.ai shares rose 16% to $7.03 after Swiss National Bank disclosed a 51.1% stake increase in Q2 2025Vanguard added 6.79 million shares while BlackRock purchased over 3.6 million shares in recent quartersThe Ask Sage acquisition adds $25 million in annual recurring revenue to shift toward subscription incomeQ3 revenue of $33.14 million beat estimates but represented a 20.1% year-over-year declineAnalysts hold mixed views with a Hold consensus and $6.33 average price targetBigBear.ai shares jumped 16% Thursday as institutional investors continue piling into the defense AI company. The Swiss National Bank led the charge with a substantial stake increase.BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc., BBAITrading activity exploded with 169.9 million shares changing hands. This marked a 78% increase from the typical daily volume of 95.2 million shares.SEC filings revealed the Swiss National Bank grew its BBAI position by 51.1% during Q2 2025. The institution added 186,600 shares, pushing total holdings to 552,100 shares worth approximately $3.75 million.The buying didn’t stop there. Vanguard Group scooped up 6.79 million additional shares in the third quarter. BlackRock joined the party by adding more than 3.6 million shares to its portfolio.This institutional confidence comes as BigBear.ai has rallied over 86% in the past six months. The small-cap AI stock trades at $7.03 with a market cap around $3.07 billion.Ask Sage Deal Reshapes Revenue ModelBigBear.ai closed a $250 million acquisition of Ask Sage earlier this year. The secure generative AI platform already operates within government networks across multiple agencies.Analysts peg Ask Sage’s contribution at roughly $25 million in annual recurring revenue. This purchase pushes the company toward more predictable subscription-based income streams.The strategy makes sense for a firm targeting government and defense contracts. Recurring revenue provides stability that one-off project work can’t match.BigBear.ai also reported a record $391 million cash position in its latest quarter. The war chest gives management flexibility for future deals or operations.Mixed Financial PerformanceThird-quarter results painted a complex picture. Revenue hit $33.14 million, topping the $31.82 million analyst estimate. But the figure dropped 20.1% compared to last year’s Q3.The company posted a $0.07 per share loss. Wall Street had expected a $0.06 loss, marking a slight miss on the bottom line.Full-year projections call for an EPS of -$0.28. The company maintains negative margins and a negative return on equity of 26.11%.Financial metrics show a current ratio and quick ratio of 3.13. The debt-to-equity ratio sits at just 0.18, indicating conservative leverage.Wall Street Takes Wait-and-See ApproachAnalyst ratings remain split on BigBear.ai. Two firms rate it a Buy, two assign Hold ratings, and one maintains a Sell recommendation.HC Wainwright holds the highest price target at $8.00. Cantor Fitzgerald rates the stock Overweight with a $7.00 target.The consensus rating lands at Hold with an average price target of $6.33. This suggests potential downside from current levels around $7.03.Wall Street Zen upgraded BigBear.ai from Strong Sell to Hold in mid-November. Weiss Ratings continues to rate the stock as a Sell.The stock’s beta of 3.44 signals high volatility compared to the broader market. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.55% of outstanding shares.Director Dorothy Hayes sold 22,000 shares in November at $6.08 per share. The transaction reduced her stake by 8.52% to 236,150 shares.The post BigBear.ai (BBAI) Stock: Institutional Investors Drive 16% Rally appeared first on Blockonomi.