AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Wedbush

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was upgraded by analysts at Wedbush to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on AVAV. Clear Str raised shares of AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler cut their target price on AeroVironment from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.37.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $172.44 on Tuesday. AeroVironment has a one year low of $135.20 and a one year high of $417.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $175.62 and its 200-day moving average is $224.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -46.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.40.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock valued at $133,502. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. Southern Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 12.6% in the first quarter. Southern Financial Group LLC now owns 1,218 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Militia Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at $209,000. Evolutionary Tree Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at $522,000. Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Cim Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 62.1% in the 1st quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,996 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a $500 million U.S. Department of Defense counter-drone contract, reinforcing the company’s role in military modernization and providing another meaningful growth catalyst. AeroVironment Stock Rises On $500 Million Counter-Drone Contract
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported fiscal Q4 EPS of $1.84 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $641.6 million versus $556.0 million expected, a sharp year-over-year jump that signals accelerating demand. AeroVironment (AVAV) Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted a record roughly $1.2 billion funded backlog and strong growth in autonomous systems, which supports future revenue visibility and helped fuel bullish analyst commentary. AeroVironment shares jump on strong earnings beat, record backlog and Pentagon spending tailwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage on AeroVironment and Kratos with an Outperform view, adding to the positive tone around defense-tech names. AeroVironment, Kratos gain as Wedbush initiates at Outperform
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or repeated securities class-action deadlines tied to prior disclosures, which could add headline risk and pressure sentiment even as the operating story improves. Deadline Alert: AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged To Contact Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP About Securities Fraud Lawsuit

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.