AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AVAV. KeyCorp initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Sunday, June 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Monday, August 4th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $225.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $240.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $295.23.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AeroVironment stock opened at $301.79 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $256.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $201.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.96. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $102.25 and a 1 year high of $307.11. The company has a market capitalization of $15.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -471.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.02.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.02). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.67% and a negative net margin of 4.14%.The company had revenue of $454.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.16 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 140.0% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,153,390.65. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 296.0% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 99 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 171.1% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 244 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 60.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses in the United States and internationally. It operates through Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), Tactical Missile System (TMS), Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS), and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Systems (HAPS) segments.