Aureus Greenway Shares Jump on Trump-Backed Powerus Drone Merger

Aureus Greenway Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGH) shares surged 15% in premarket trading on Monday, March 9, 2026, after the Florida-based golf course operator announced a definitive merger agreement with Powerus, a drone startup founded by U.S. Army Special Operations veterans. The deal, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, has drawn significant attention due to backing from Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., who are supporting Powerus through their investment vehicle American Ventures.

The merger would transform Aureus Greenway from a leisure company into a publicly traded drone and defense firm, with the combined entity expected to list on Nasdaq under the ticker “PUSA.” The announcement arrives at a pivotal moment for the domestic drone industry, as the Pentagon ramps up spending and the Trump administration’s ban on new Chinese drones opens the door for American manufacturers.

Trump-Backed Powerus Deal Positions AGH for Drone Industry Growth

Under the terms of the agreement, Powerus will merge into a newly formed subsidiary of Aureus Greenway Holdings, with Powerus continuing as the surviving entity and AGH adopting the name “Powerus Corporation.” The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies and is structured as a reverse merger, giving Powerus access to public capital markets to fund manufacturing expansion and further acquisitions.

Notable backers of the deal include American Ventures, drone manufacturer Unusual Machines (UMAC), where Donald Trump Jr. serves as a shareholder and advisory board member, and the Korea Corporate Governance Improvement Fund, which committed a strategic $50 million investment. Dominari Securities, an investment bank linked to the Trump brothers, is also involved in the transaction.

Powerus, headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, was founded just last year by U.S. Army Special Operations veterans and has already acquired three companies in the past six months. The startup sells both aerial and maritime drones and has set an ambitious production target of more than 10,000 drones per month, a rate that would outpace most existing U.S. drone manufacturers.

CEO Andrew Fox stated that the reverse merger would unlock the public capital needed to accelerate manufacturing scale-up and pursue additional acquisitions as demand surges. The deal is strategically timed to capitalize on two major tailwinds: the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance initiative, which targets $1.1 billion in procurement of hundreds of thousands of U.S. drone systems by 2027, and the Trump administration’s ban on new Chinese drones, which has left a significant gap in the market for domestic suppliers to fill.

AGH interim CEO Matthew J. Saker noted that the combination is made “even more relevant by current geopolitical uncertainties,” citing growing demand for autonomous technologies in the Middle East and beyond.

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AGH Shares Jump as Investors React to Drone Merger News

AGH shares climbed to $5.56 in premarket trading on March 9, a gain of $0.68, or approximately 13.93%, following a closing price of $4.88 on March 6, 2026. The stock’s intraday range on March 6 was $4.67 to $5.05, and trading volume of 24,252 came in below the average of 48,996, suggesting the bulk of the merger-driven activity was concentrated in premarket hours.

Unusual Machines (UMAC), a key investor in the transaction, also saw its shares rise roughly 10% in premarket trading on the news. Looking at broader performance trends, AGH has delivered remarkable returns over the past year, posting a one-year gain of 716.05% compared to the S&P 500’s 17.45% return over the same period.

Year-to-date through March 6, the stock was up 54.92%, against an S&P 500 decline of 1.54%, underscoring the stock’s strong momentum ahead of the merger announcement. The company’s 52-week range spans from $0.52 to $8.25, reflecting the high volatility typical of small-cap stocks that have attracted speculative interest.

From a fundamentals standpoint, AGH remains a pre-profitability company, reporting a trailing twelve-month profit margin of -95.22%, revenues of $2.93 million, and a net loss of $2.79 million. Its market cap stood at approximately $73.5 million as of March 6, with $29.41 million in total cash on hand.

While the current financials reflect its origins as a small golf course operator, the Powerus merger is expected to fundamentally reshape the company’s business profile, revenue base, and investor audience as it pivots toward the high-growth defense drone sector.

Disclaimer: The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article. All stock prices were quoted at the time of writing.