Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $390.00 to $305.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 40.37% from the company’s current price.

AVAV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. BTIG Research lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler cut their target price on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ AVAV traded up $9.55 on Thursday, reaching $217.28. 2,036,601 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,991,419. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $282.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $292.68. The firm has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The firm’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on 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 owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 buying an additional 51,959 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth $314,890,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 8.8% in the fourth 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 increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $174,681,000 after acquiring an additional 235,685 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 17.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $216,101,000 after acquiring an additional 101,713 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat argues the pullback is a longer‑term value entry: technicals show a near‑term bottom, institutions have been net buyers and the firm highlights upside if backlog execution and commercial expansion rebound. AeroVironment Touches Down On Value Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Some sell‑side firms trimmed price targets but kept bullish ratings (BTIG kept a “buy” rating with a lower PT), indicating analysts still see meaningful upside if execution resumes. BTIG price target note (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 results were mixed: revenue rose ~143% YoY to ~$408M (strong growth) but missed top‑line and adjusted EPS estimates; FY26 EPS guidance was lowered to $2.75–$3.10, beneath consensus — hurt near‑term expectations but left longer‑term market opportunity intact. Q3 results and call
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple analysts cut price targets (KeyBanc, Stifel, RBC, UBS, etc.) — ratings largely remain Overweight/Buy but with lower targets, producing mixed medium‑term signals for holders and traders. Analyst reactions and target cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Contract risk: reports about the SCAR/Space Force stoppage removed ~$1.4–1.7B from unfunded backlog and created near‑term revenue visibility concerns, a core reason investors shaved the stock. SCAR contract uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Financing/leverage risk: disclosure of $727M in new notes raises leverage, tightens covenants and elevates liquidity risk — an added balance‑sheet consideration for investors already jittery about visibility. Notes raise and leverage risk
• Negative Sentiment: Headline/insider/legal risk: a Pomerantz investor probe was announced and the CFO disclosed a modest 396‑share sale — both increase short‑term headline risk and may pressure sentiment if litigation or more insider selling follows. Pomerantz investigation CFO Form 4 / Insider sale

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.