AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $231.89

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $228.37.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research cut shares of AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial upgraded AeroVironment from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $138.86 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -59.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.36. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $134.25 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.26 and a quick ratio of 3.33. The business’s 50-day moving average is $157.38 and its 200-day moving average is $168.54.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total transaction of $38,067.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at $7,347,484.31. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $574,566,000. American Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $69,745,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $67,549,000. Korea Investment CORP bought a new position in AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at about $54,901,000. Finally, Heard Capital LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $174,681,000 after buying an additional 235,685 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment continues to benefit from robust military demand for its Switchblade systems. The company reported approximately $1.5 billion in funded backlog and another $1.4 billion in unfunded backlog at the end of fiscal 2027’s first quarter, supporting longer-term revenue visibility. Should Investors Buy the Dip in AeroVironment or Wait for Profitability?
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG maintained a Buy rating and a $205 price target, citing strength in directed-energy and counter-drone systems. The target implies substantial potential upside if execution improves. AeroVironment Maintained at Buy with $205 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage with a Hold rating and a $165 price target, which is above the referenced share price and indicates analysts see some recovery potential, though not enough to recommend aggressive buying. AeroVironment Stock Bumped Up to Hold by Rothschild & Co Redburn

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and supplies autonomous systems, uncrewed aircraft, loitering munitions and counter-uncrewed-aircraft systems. Its portfolio includes small unmanned aircraft systems such as Raven, Puma and Wasp, as well as larger platforms including JUMP 20 and Quantix Recon.

The company is also known for its Switchblade family of loitering munitions, which combine surveillance, target identification and precision strike capabilities. AeroVironment provides related ground control systems, sensors, software, communications equipment, training and support services for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Founded in 1971 by aerospace engineer Paul B.