AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 1.6% – What’s Next?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price dropped 1.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $193.68 and last traded at $195.91. Approximately 1,015,650 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 1,923,392 shares. The stock had previously closed at $199.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. Zacks Research cut AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. The firm has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.14, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $259.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $290.46.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $53,130.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 49,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,573,082.52. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,924 shares of company stock worth $1,486,038. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 60.0% in the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during 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.