AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 2.7% – Should You Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares were up 2.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $191.75 and last traded at $189.26. Approximately 647,745 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 1,831,466 shares. The stock had previously closed at $184.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AVAV shares. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of -43.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.38. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.60.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $53,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 49,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,573,082.52. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,598,638.30. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,724 shares of company stock valued at $1,435,854. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% in the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 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.