AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives $266.68 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $266.6842.

AVAV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler dropped their target price 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. Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $295.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms reiterated the approaching July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in the AVAV securities class action, keeping AeroVironment in the news and highlighting ongoing legal overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also saw another round of short-interest commentary, but the filing reported zero shares short, so it does not appear to add meaningful new pressure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment recently scored a new Army contract, and investors have also been encouraged by strong defense-program momentum, which supports the long-term revenue outlook even as the stock trades lower near term. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the sale, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth about $94,655,000. Swedbank AB boosted its position in AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $63,185,000 after acquiring an additional 260,072 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 4,770.1% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 260,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $62,941,000 after acquiring an additional 254,864 shares during the period. Heard Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 48.4% during the 4th 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, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 3,880.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 206,607 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $65,058,000 after acquiring an additional 201,417 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Down 5.8%

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $149.51 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $166.78 and a 200 day moving average of $213.45. AeroVironment has a 52 week low of $135.20 and a 52 week high of $417.86. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 1.39.

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

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.