AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 3.7% – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price traded up 3.7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $153.90 and last traded at $152.28. 1,317,786 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 1,606,169 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.88.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment received a $51 million U.S. Army order for additional Switchblade 600 Block 2 loitering munitions, including Block 1 systems for a foreign military sale. The contract reinforces demand for the company’s precision-strike products and supports its production-expansion plans. AV Receives $51 Million U.S. Army Order for Switchblade 600 Loitering Munitions
• Positive Sentiment: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory selected AeroVironment to help build three Ingenuity-inspired Mars helicopters for a planned 2028 mission to search for subsurface ice. The project is a long-term technology and visibility catalyst, though its direct financial impact was not disclosed. NASA Taps AeroVironment for Three Mars Helicopters
• Positive Sentiment: William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma reiterated a Buy rating, citing strong loitering-munitions demand and the potential for an Army E-HEL laser contract to offset near-term revenue pressure. William Blair Reiterates Buy on AeroVironment
• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment will report fiscal first-quarter 2027 results after the market close on September 9. Investors are looking for evidence that contract wins, production expansion and European demand are translating into revenue growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent investor commentary remains cautiously optimistic, supported by a multibillion-dollar backlog and defense spending, but technical models indicate potential downside. Reported analyst targets remain well above the current trading range, while institutional positioning has been mixed.
• Negative Sentiment: Two law firms announced investigations into whether AeroVironment’s board and executives properly disclosed competitive risks related to the U.S. Space Force’s SCAR satellite-communications program. The inquiries could create legal costs and reputational uncertainty, although no wrongdoing has been established. Berger Montague AeroVironment Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity shows sales by executives and no reported open-market purchases over the past six months, a modestly cautionary signal for investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AVAV. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -41.38, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $160.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.63.

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

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total value of $47,995.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 48,503 shares in the company, valued at $9,311,605.94. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 705 shares of company stock valued at $132,979 in the last quarter. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewEdge Wealth LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 29.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 2,326 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 2,667 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.