AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 2.7% – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares were up 2.7% on Monday . The company traded as high as $191.75 and last traded at $189.26. Approximately 647,745 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 1,831,466 shares. The stock had previously closed at $184.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AVAV shares. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a PE ratio of -43.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $286.29.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the 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 $10,573,082.52. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,724 shares of company stock valued at $1,435,854. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth about $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $285,000. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $633,000. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $213,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $173,540,000 after acquiring an additional 262,239 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.