AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading 1.3% Higher – Here’s Why

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) were up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $190.96 and last traded at $189.15. Approximately 1,425,223 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 1,645,340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wedbush started coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Trading Down 1.4%

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 stock has a market capitalization of $9.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -52.52, a P/E/G ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $196.74.

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

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment in the first quarter worth $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake 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. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.