Robert W. Baird Cuts AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target to $235.00

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price objective lowered by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $260.00 to $235.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 6.06% from the stock’s current price.

AVAV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.39.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV opened at $221.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $283.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $293.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.06 billion, a PE ratio of -177.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 4,078 shares of company stock valued at $1,301,482 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 51,959 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $314,890,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $213,956,000 after acquiring an additional 71,903 shares in the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 48.4% in the 4th quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $174,681,000 after acquiring an additional 235,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $216,101,000 after purchasing an additional 101,713 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue jumped year‑over‑year and management highlighted strategic progress in product lines (counter‑drone, AI sensing). These fundamentals support long‑term demand as militaries increase drone/C‑UAS spending. How Is AeroVironment Expanding Its Counter-Drone Defense Capabilities?
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the full Q3 presentation and earnings call materials — useful for parsing management commentary on order timing, backlog and SCAR next steps. Q3 Slide Deck / Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 results: adjusted EPS of $0.64 and revenue of $408.1M missed Wall Street estimates (EPS and revenue). Management cited timing issues that delayed orders — the shortfall and miss vs. consensus drove the initial selloff. AeroVironment Misses Q4 Sales Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: FY26 guidance was cut to $2.75–$3.10 in adjusted EPS (previously $3.40–$3.55) and revenue guidance centered ~ $1.9–$2.0B, both below Street expectations — a clear near‑term negative for sentiment and valuation. AeroVironment Cuts Guidance, Says Timing Issues Hurt Results
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty: reports cite potential termination or loss of a ~$1.7B Space Force SCAR contract, amplifying revenue visibility concerns and driving downside risk. AVAV Stock Plunges on Q3 Miss and $1.7B Contract Uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: at least one sell‑side rating was cut from strong‑buy to hold after the “reality check,” adding selling pressure. Rating Downgrade Article
• Negative Sentiment: Investor/litigation risk: a law firm (Pomerantz) has opened an investigation, which can increase headline volatility and legal overhangs. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigation

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.