AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target Lowered to $260.00 at Robert W. Baird

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price target lowered by Robert W. Baird from $350.00 to $260.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on AVAV. KeyCorp boosted their price target on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.33.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AVAV stock opened at $228.30 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -182.64, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.26. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $293.73. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 4,589 shares of company stock worth $1,428,910 over the last three months. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company statement says it is in active negotiations with the U.S. Space Force on a contract amendment tied to the SCAR ground-station program — an outcome that could preserve a major revenue stream. AV Issues Statement Regarding Active Negotiations for Contract Amendment
• Positive Sentiment: Defense-sector tailwinds and heightened geopolitical tensions (Middle East) have lifted peer stocks and boosted demand expectations for AeroVironment’s drones and tactical systems. That macro support is a likely contributor to today’s uplift. Why Is AeroVironment Stock Soaring Tuesday?
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying business momentum remains strong: recent commentary and filings point to very high revenue growth and record contract awards (management previously reported $3.5B in contract wins and major Y/Y revenue gains), which supports upside if margins and EPS recover. Defense Stocks Are Soaring—AeroVironment’s Earnings Could Close the Gap
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets (Royal Bank of Canada, Baird, Piper Sandler) but left bullish ratings in place — mixed signal: analysts trimmed near-term expectations while still showing meaningful upside. RBC cuts price target on AeroVironment
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in public feeds showed odd/zero figures for early March (likely a data glitch); it doesn’t appear to explain the moves. (Monitor official exchange/CBOE short-interest releases for confirmation.)
• Negative Sentiment: Raymond James downgraded AVAV to Underperform, citing increased risk after the Space Force said it would broaden suppliers and open a rebid for mobile ground stations — that triggered a sharp selloff earlier in the week. Raymond James Downgrades AeroVironment
• Negative Sentiment: Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares recently (Form 4 filed), a small insider sale but typically watched by investors during volatile periods. SEC Form 4 (Page sale)
• Negative Sentiment: Market volatility around the Space Force rebid and analyst downgrades increases near-term execution risk — keep an eye on the company’s upcoming earnings and any formal award/contract updates for SCAR. AeroVironment Tumbles 17% as Space Force Eyes More Mobile Ground Suppliers

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.