Stifel Nicolaus Lowers AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target to $315.00

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $389.00 to $315.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 48.67% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on AVAV. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $400.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Up 2.0%

AeroVironment stock opened at $211.88 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $281.98 and its 200 day moving average is $292.12. The company has a market capitalization of $10.58 billion, a PE ratio of -48.82, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $75,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 50,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,000,300. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 4,474 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,404 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

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

Key AeroVironment News

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)

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.