AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 3.1% – Still a Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares traded up 3.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $147.33 and last traded at $146.57. 942,754 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 43% from the average daily volume of 1,661,735 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVAV has been the subject of several recent research reports. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.83, a P/E/G ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $166.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $209.14. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 made changes to their positions in the stock. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at $285,000. American Century Companies Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at $633,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 5,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 24,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,892,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. 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.