UBS Group Initiates Coverage on AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)

UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a “neutral” rating and a $259.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 2.97% from the company’s previous close.

AVAV has been the topic of several other research reports. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $367.00.

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ AVAV traded down $14.75 on Wednesday, hitting $266.92. The company had a trading volume of 573,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,595,699. The company has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a PE ratio of -212.98, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $284.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,089 shares of company stock worth $1,285,160. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Michigan Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $2,393,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 550.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $56,115,000 after buying an additional 150,819 shares in the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1.4% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,267,000 after acquiring an additional 4,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $1,121,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.