AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading 3.2% Higher – Still a Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price traded up 3.2% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $156.54 and last traded at $154.24. Approximately 971,765 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average daily volume of 1,672,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. Wall Street Zen upgraded AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Down 7.4%

The firm has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $166.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $210.57.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The firm had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred 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 trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 90.0% in the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

About AeroVironment

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.