AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target Lowered to $250.00 at Royal Bank Of Canada

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its target price cut by Royal Bank Of Canada from $325.00 to $250.00 in a report published on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Raymond James Financial restated an “underperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research lowered AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $329.89.

AeroVironment Stock Down 6.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $207.73 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a PE ratio of -47.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The company has a 50-day moving average of $282.58 and a 200 day moving average of $292.68.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at $3,598,638.30. The trade was a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $75,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 50,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,000,300. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404 over the last quarter. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 5,091 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 1,210 shares during the period. Mengis Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,501 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $195,000. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,084 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,472,000 after purchasing an additional 1,902 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Very strong top‑line growth: revenue rose ~143% year‑over‑year (Q3 sales ~$408M), showing robust demand and integration progress after acquisitions. AeroVironment Announces Fiscal 2026 Third Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Healthy balance sheet and backlog: management and coverage notes point to a strong cash position that supports scaling production and pursuing commercial diversification, which some investors view as a longer‑term catalyst. MarketBeat – AeroVironment Profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts cut price targets but many kept positive ratings — firms (Stifel, KeyBanc, RBC, UBS, etc.) trimmed targets to reflect SCAR/timing risk while often retaining Buy/Overweight, leaving potential upside if execution stabilizes.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider activity: CFO sold a small block (~396 shares) disclosed March 10; size and frequency suggest limited signal about management conviction.
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue miss: adjusted EPS $0.64 missed consensus and revenue of $408M came in well below expectations — the immediate trigger for selling. AeroVironment Books A ‘Stellar Quarter,’ But Shares Dive
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance cut: FY2026 adjusted EPS narrowed to $2.75–$3.10 (previously $3.40–$3.55) and revenue guided ~$1.9–$2.0B — below Street expectations, which pressured sentiment and valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty: potential termination/stop‑work on the BADGER/SCAR program and timing disruptions in Space/Cyber/Directed Energy could remove ~$1.7B of expected business, amplifying downside risk. Coverage and news outlets highlighted this as a key negative. AeroVironment falls after revenue, profit miss and lowered outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: heavy volume and a premarket selloff followed by after‑hours declines; multiple media pieces flagged significant intraday moves and price target cuts, increasing volatility and short‑term downside risk. AeroVironment (AVAV) Stock Plunges 9% on Q3 Miss and $1.7B Contract Uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/investor risk: a securities law firm (Pomerantz) opened an investigation related to the disclosure and results, which can add near‑term headline risk.

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.