AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wedbush

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wedbush to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $250.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $172.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Clear Str raised shares of AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $400.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $277.37.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AeroVironment stock opened at $172.44 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $175.62 and a 200-day moving average of $224.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $135.20 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The company has a market capitalization of $8.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -46.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.40.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.72%. The company’s revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock worth $133,502. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a $500 million U.S. Department of Defense counter-drone contract, reinforcing the company’s role in military modernization and providing another meaningful growth catalyst. AeroVironment Stock Rises On $500 Million Counter-Drone Contract
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported fiscal Q4 EPS of $1.84 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $641.6 million versus $556.0 million expected, a sharp year-over-year jump that signals accelerating demand. AeroVironment (AVAV) Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted a record roughly $1.2 billion funded backlog and strong growth in autonomous systems, which supports future revenue visibility and helped fuel bullish analyst commentary. AeroVironment shares jump on strong earnings beat, record backlog and Pentagon spending tailwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage on AeroVironment and Kratos with an Outperform view, adding to the positive tone around defense-tech names. AeroVironment, Kratos gain as Wedbush initiates at Outperform
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or repeated securities class-action deadlines tied to prior disclosures, which could add headline risk and pressure sentiment even as the operating story improves. Deadline Alert: AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged To Contact Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP About Securities Fraud Lawsuit

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.