AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Down 2.7% – What’s Next?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price fell 2.7% during trading on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $142.42 and last traded at $143.24. 1,539,630 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 1,677,896 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AVAV shares. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Wall Street Zen raised AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.89.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $158.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.06. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -61.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.41.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.37. The company 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%. AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the 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 sale, the director owned 48,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,347,484.31. This represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter, insiders sold 805 shares of company stock valued at $142,671. 0.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Capital Analysts LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 16.8% in the second quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 2,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth about $59,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 31.4% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,084 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 1,455 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $176,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in AeroVironment by 119.9% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 387 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and produces unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-unmanned aircraft systems and related robotic technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and tactical communications applications.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Wasp small unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.