AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

AVAV has been the subject of several other reports. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $184.36 on Friday. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The firm has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -42.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.38. The company’s 50-day moving average is $236.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.34. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Research analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,724 shares of company stock worth $1,435,854. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ARK Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 400,457 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $126,100,000 after acquiring an additional 89,697 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,393,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 550.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $56,115,000 after purchasing an additional 150,819 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $2,355,000. Finally, Rheos Capital Works Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $37,787,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.