AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 3.7% – What’s Next?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) was up 3.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $248.60 and last traded at $243.87. Approximately 684,661 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 59% from the average daily volume of 1,666,239 shares. The stock had previously closed at $235.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AVAV. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Trading Up 3.7%

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 company has a market capitalization of $12.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -195.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $285.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.77.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of the firm’s 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 owned 16,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,394,527.20. The trade was a 5.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,589 shares of company stock worth $1,157,685. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the first quarter worth $225,000. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $420,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 10,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,016,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $498,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.