Insider Selling: AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) CFO Sells 879 Shares of Stock

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.60, for a total value of $235,220.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,422 shares in the company, valued at $4,394,527.20. This represents a 5.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, January 12th, Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40.
• On Wednesday, December 10th, Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 511 shares of AeroVironment stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.37, for a total transaction of $127,428.07.

AeroVironment Stock Down 7.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $19.84 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $243.42. 1,592,069 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,718,454. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $287.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $294.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The company has a market cap of $12.15 billion, a PE ratio of -194.74, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 1.23.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.06.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company named Stephen Voline as Senior Director, Washington Operations to boost engagement with Congress, DoD and acquisition stakeholders — a strategic hire that could help win/facilitate defense contracts over time. AV Welcomes Stephen Voline as Senior Director, Washington Operations
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage suggests AeroVironment is “repositioning” its defense tech strategy with the DC hire and a USAF deal — signaling potential secular upside in defense revenue and deeper DoD relationships if awards scale. Is AeroVironment (AVAV) Quietly Repositioning Its Defense Tech Strategy With New DC Hire And USAF Deal?
• Neutral Sentiment: Public short-interest posts show a reported “large increase,” but the data is internally inconsistent (zeros/NaN and 0.0 days-to-cover), making it unclear whether short selling is materially pressuring the stock today.
• Negative Sentiment: AVAV CFO Kevin McDonnell sold 879 shares (~$235k) on Feb 10, reducing his stake by ~5.08% — insider sales often prompt investor caution even if not large. SEC filing: Form 4 – SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Headline/analyst pieces note recent share weakness and outperformance versus peers — coverage highlighting underperformance and sharper declines can accelerate selling pressure. AeroVironment (AVAV) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market: What Investors Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Further analyst commentary calls out a 3-month underperformance vs. peers (stock down materially over the period), reinforcing negative sentiment among traders and momentum-focused funds. AVAV Underperforms Industry in the Past 3 Months: What Should You Do?

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $314,890,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 14.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $991,089,000 after acquiring an additional 433,830 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased 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 purchasing an additional 262,239 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.