AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 4.7% – What’s Next?

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) fell 4.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $142.02 and last traded at $142.20. Approximately 1,253,359 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 1,685,259 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.29.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded AeroVironment to Outperform and set a $210 price target, saying the company’s improving bookings and recovering backlog strengthen the growth outlook. Several reports also highlighted potential upside tied to Army-related contract opportunities. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted AeroVironment’s role in national security and Ohio biomanufacturing, which may support the long-term defense narrative, but it does not appear to be a near-term stock catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or reminded investors about a securities fraud class action against AeroVironment, with a July 27, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline. The repeated legal notices suggest continued investor concern over alleged disclosure issues tied to the earlier stock decline, which can weigh on sentiment. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVAV has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 5th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.64, a PEG ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $168.17 and its 200 day moving average is $216.82.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The firm had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Legacy Bridge LLC increased its stake in AeroVironment by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $979,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $897,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 29.7% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 495 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. 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.