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

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, eighteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $375.4118.

AVAV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on AeroVironment from $267.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $309.57 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $287.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $294.39. 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 company has a market cap of $15.46 billion, a PE ratio of -247.66, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.16. AeroVironment has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $417.86.

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

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503 in the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 550.7% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $56,115,000 after buying an additional 150,819 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in AeroVironment by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.4% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $273,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.