AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 7.9% – Here’s Why

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares were down 7.9% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $234.00 and last traded at $236.88. Approximately 1,527,007 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 1,785,440 shares. The stock had previously closed at $257.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVAV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock Down 7.9%

The firm has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -189.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $288.30 and a 200-day moving average of $294.72.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the 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 trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,503. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in AeroVironment by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,111,585,000 after acquiring an additional 51,959 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $314,890,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 17.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $216,101,000 after purchasing an additional 101,713 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 678,431 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $193,342,000 after purchasing an additional 6,475 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 614,444 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $193,390,000 after buying an additional 83,322 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.