Stephen Page Sells 250 Shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 48,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,347,484.31. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded up $6.69 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $163.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,771,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,692,192. The company has a market cap of $8.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -69.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.41. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.20 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 4.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.25 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Funded backlog provides revenue visibility: AeroVironment ended fiscal first quarter 2027 with approximately $1.5 billion in funded backlog, up from $1.2 billion at the end of the prior quarter. The backlog consists of firm, funded customer orders and could support management’s growth outlook as orders convert into revenue. AeroVironment Has $1.5 Billion in Funded Backlog
• Positive Sentiment: Broader defense platform strengthens the growth narrative: Coverage highlights AeroVironment’s expanding autonomous-systems, counter-drone and directed-energy portfolio, including opportunities across unmanned aerial systems and high-energy lasers. This diversification could increase its addressable market and reduce reliance on any single product line. Is AeroVironment Becoming a Broader Defense Technology Platform?
• Positive Sentiment: New agreements support capacity and directed-energy programs: A long-term agreement with Attalon covers delivery of Valaris high-energy laser platforms, while a collaboration with Nominal will digitize manufacturing and testing data. The initiatives may help AeroVironment scale production and improve execution as customer demand grows. Attalon and AeroVironment Execute Long-Term Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative strength within the drone sector: AeroVironment has held up better than more speculative drone companies during the sector’s recent weakness, reinforcing its perception as a defense contractor with established programs rather than a purely speculative drone stock. Speculative Drone Names Extend Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal: Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares and Chief Accounting Officer Brian Shackley sold 100 shares at $152.27 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The sales were small relative to their remaining holdings and appear scheduled, limiting their significance, but they do not provide a positive insider-buying signal. SEC Insider Sale Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AVAV shares. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.89.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $94,655,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $574,566,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 289.9% during the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,714,000 after purchasing an additional 165,106 shares during the period. MYDA Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,628,000. Finally, Korea Investment CORP acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $54,901,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.