AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Down 7.5% Following Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price was down 7.5% on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $236.36 and last traded at $243.42. Approximately 1,589,912 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 1,718,383 shares. The stock had previously closed at $263.26.

Specifically, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.60, for a total value of $235,220.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,394,527.20. The trade was a 5.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AVAV. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.06.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company hires a senior Washington operations lead to strengthen government engagement — AV announced Stephen Voline as Senior Director, Washington Operations to support Congressional, DoD and national-security stakeholder engagement, which could help win future defense contracts and improve program win rates. AV Welcomes Stephen Voline
• Positive Sentiment: Media suggests AVAV is repositioning toward defense wins — a Yahoo Finance piece highlights the new DC hire alongside a reported USAF deal, framing this as a strategic shift toward larger defense programs that could sustainably boost revenues if follow-through occurs. Is AeroVironment Quietly Repositioning?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports show zero shares (data appears inconsistent) — filings for Feb. 10–11 list 0 shorted shares and a 0.0 days-to-cover figure, which looks like a reporting anomaly and is not meaningful evidence of a changing short-seller stance. (No reliable link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Company CFO sold shares — CFO Kevin Patrick McDonnell sold 879 shares at an average $267.60 (roughly a 5.08% reduction in his holdings), a transaction disclosed in an SEC filing that can raise investor concern about insider conviction even though the remaining stake is still material. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market notes highlight recent share weakness and underperformance — Zacks pieces report recent daily and three-month declines, noting AVAV has lagged peers despite new defense contracts and strong liquidity, which likely amplifies selling pressure and negative sentiment. AVAV Falls More Steeply AVAV Underperforms Industry

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -194.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $294.18.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The company had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue 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 predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the first quarter valued at $225,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in AeroVironment by 13.5% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,299,000 after buying an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 25.7% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,650 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $420,000. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its position in AeroVironment by 1.7% in the second quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 10,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,016,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.