AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives “Buy” Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC restated their buy rating on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $450.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock.

AVAV has been the topic of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on AeroVironment from $295.00 to $389.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AeroVironment stock opened at $278.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The firm has a market cap of $13.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -222.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $288.74 and its 200-day moving average is $294.56. AeroVironment has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,503 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% in the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.