AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Down 5.7% – Should You Sell?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price was down 5.7% on Friday . The company traded as low as $171.81 and last traded at $173.1320. Approximately 304,651 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 1,557,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $183.69.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Bronstein, Schall, Rosen, Pomerantz, DJS, and others, announced or repeated class-action notices against AeroVironment over alleged securities-law violations. These actions may increase investor concern about potential damages, legal costs, and management distraction. Article: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges AeroVironment, Inc. Investors to Act: Class Action Filed Alleging Investor Harm
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits focus on investors who bought AVAV shares between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026, and several firms highlighted a July 27, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline. The repeated legal notices suggest the case is gaining momentum, which can weigh on sentiment in the near term. Article: Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against AeroVironment, Inc. and Certain Officers – AVAV
• Neutral Sentiment: No new operating results, contracts, or guidance updates were included in these articles, so today’s move appears driven mainly by litigation overhang rather than fresh business fundamentals.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AVAV shares. 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 note on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Down 5.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.86, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.35. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $184.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.40.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. 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 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.31, for a total transaction of $40,577.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 49,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,993,929.81. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 950 shares of company stock worth $185,534 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $314,890,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after buying an additional 314,448 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $63,185,000 after buying an additional 260,072 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 4,770.1% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 260,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $62,941,000 after buying an additional 254,864 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.