AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 3.4% After Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price was down 3.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $233.78 and last traded at $235.12. Approximately 1,180,633 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 31% from the average daily volume of 1,699,969 shares. The stock had previously closed at $243.42.

Specifically, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.60, for a total transaction of $235,220.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,394,527.20. The trade was a 5.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Army deployed AeroVironment’s LOCUST counter‑drone laser near El Paso, demonstrating field use of AVAV’s high‑value defense capability (the event led to a multi‑hour airspace halt, highlighting operational impact and potential follow‑on demand). Reuters: LOCUST deployed
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a market‑outperform view and set a $400 price target, implying material upside versus recent levels — a signal that some sell‑side firms remain confident in AVAV’s growth trajectory. TickerReport: Analyst note
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate/government affairs hire: AVAV named Stephen Voline as Senior Director, Washington Operations to strengthen DoD and congressional engagement — may help with program capture and procurement navigation. BusinessWire: New Washington hire
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest postings show “0” shorted shares in recent reports — the data looks like a reporting anomaly and is not meaningful evidence of a change in short‑seller positioning.
• Neutral Sentiment: Media pieces are framing AVAV as “repositioning” into larger defense programs (citing the hire and reported USAF activity) — strategic narrative positive if converted to wins, but impact is speculative until contracts are disclosed. Yahoo Finance: Repositioning story
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Kevin P. McDonnell sold 879 shares (~5% reduction of his disclosed holding) at about $267.60 per share — an insider sale that can weigh on sentiment even if size is modest versus total holdings. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/market commentary highlights recent underperformance and heightened volatility — analysts and market pieces note the stock has pulled back from its highs, which can amplify selling pressure and short‑term downside. Zacks: AVAV falls more steeply

AeroVironment Stock Down 3.4%

The stock has a market cap of $11.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -188.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $285.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $293.77.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in AeroVironment by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,111,585,000 after purchasing an additional 51,959 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $314,890,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $213,956,000 after acquiring an additional 71,903 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $216,101,000 after purchasing an additional 101,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 614,444 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $193,390,000 after purchasing an additional 83,322 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.