AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 6% on Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price traded down 6% on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $263.95 and last traded at $264.63. 1,111,473 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 31% from the average session volume of 1,613,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $281.67.

Specifically, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $68,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 50,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,819,025. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 500 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.95, for a total transaction of $127,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,501 shares in the company, valued at $12,875,229.95. This trade represents a 0.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AVAV. KeyCorp raised their price target on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price target on AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $367.00.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bull case: a Seeking Alpha deep dive highlights the BlueHalo acquisition, the firm’s LOCUST directed‑energy progress, a $1.1B funded / $3B unfunded backlog and ~93% 2026 revenue visibility — analysts there model a fair value near $290, supporting upside vs. recent prices. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum note: The Motley Fool reports AVAV “climbed 15%” recently, citing an unexpected catalyst and increased Wall Street attention — this type of momentum can attract short‑term buyers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New coverage: UBS initiated coverage with a “neutral” rating and a $259 price target (slightly below recent levels) — this provides more liquidity in analyst views but is unlikely to spark a major re‑rating on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: AV’s CFO will appear at the Citizens Technology Conference (fireside chat March 2, to be webcast) — useful for incremental transparency but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: a Yahoo piece questions whether the recent ~33% pullback already prices in risk and examines DCF upside potential — highlights disagreement among investors on fair value, which can sustain volatility. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Critical take: a Seeking Alpha column titled “Shockingly Uninteresting” raises skeptical points on growth durability and excitement, which can reinforce selling pressure among more value‑oriented investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Noisy short‑interest reports: multiple feeds flagged a “large increase” in February short interest, but the published figures appear inconsistent/erroneous (zeros/NaN). Even so, headlines about rising shorts can trigger fear/stop‑loss selling and add to intraday downside.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $13.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -211.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $285.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $293.49.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its position in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. 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.