AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $318.7778.

AVAV has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $53,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 49,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,573,082.52. This trade represents a 0.50% 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, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,231,340.88. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,725 shares of company stock valued at $1,068,621. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth approximately $314,890,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after buying an additional 314,448 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $63,185,000 after buying an additional 260,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 4,770.1% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 260,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $62,941,000 after buying an additional 254,864 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointed Dr. Robert (Rob) Smith as Executive VP & Chief Operating Officer to oversee operations, manufacturing and key business units — a hiring investors see as aimed at improving execution and meeting rising defense demand. AV Appoints Dr. Robert Smith as Chief Operating Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: analyses on the “economics of war” highlight that low-cost drones versus expensive countermeasures support longer‑term demand for systems like AVAV’s, but this is a structural argument rather than immediate revenue confirmation. The 3 Numbers You Need to Know About the Economics of War
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have plunged ~52% over the past three months amid investor concern about rising costs, intensifying competition and funding risks — a major driver of negative sentiment and valuation pressure. AVAV Stock Down 52.1% in 3 Months: Should Investors Be Concerned?
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish coverage: outlets have labeled AVAV a “Bear of the Day” and highlighted weak results and a steep downtrend, which can amplify short‑term selling pressure. Bear of the Day: AeroVironment (AVAV)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: Pomerantz LLP announced an investor investigation into AeroVironment, creating potential litigation over disclosures that could be a material overhang. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of AeroVironment, Inc. – AVAV
• Negative Sentiment: Sector/analyst caution: AVAV appears on lists of industrial stocks with warning signs, reinforcing concerns about execution, margins and capital needs despite defense tailwinds. 3 Industrials Stocks with Warning Signs

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $179.72 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $137.41 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $224.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.87. The stock has a market cap of $8.97 billion, a PE ratio of -41.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.38.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. 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. Equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.