Citizens Jmp Has Lowered Expectations for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its target price decreased by analysts at Citizens Jmp from $400.00 to $350.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market outperform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 65.19% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday, January 30th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $259.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $375.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Up 2.0%

AVAV stock opened at $211.88 on Wednesday. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $281.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $292.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.51. The company has a market capitalization of $10.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at $3,598,638.30. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,474 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,404. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter worth approximately $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $273,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 108.4% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 346 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,894,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and commentators highlight a value entry / technical bottom after the March selloff, noting institutional accumulation and a still‑large backlog that could support a rebound. AeroVironment Touches Down On Value Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms kept Buy/Overweight ratings even while trimming price targets, signaling analyst conviction that upside remains once near‑term headwinds clear. Analyst notes (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 results showed revenue up ~143% YoY (~$408M) but missed revenue and EPS estimates; FY‑2026 EPS guidance was trimmed to $2.75–$3.10 — strong growth but weaker near‑term visibility. Q3 miss and outlook (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Backlog and demand signals remain constructive (record backlog cited), which supports medium‑term revenue prospects if contract timing stabilizes. QuiverQuant earnings/opinion summary
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty: reports of the Space Force SCAR program stop‑work/possible termination create ~$1.4–1.7B of backlog risk and were a major reason for the recent selloff. SCAR contract uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Financing risk: disclosure of a $727M notes issuance raises leverage, tightens covenants and increases liquidity risk — a new material consideration for investors. Notes issuance risk (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal & insider headline risk: Pomerantz launched an investor probe and the CFO disclosed a small sale of shares — both raise short‑term headline noise. Pomerantz investigation (PR Newswire) CFO Form 4
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the feeds looks inconsistent (reported as 0/NaN) — no clear short squeeze signal from the available data. Short interest notes (Benzinga)

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.