AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, eighteen have given 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 $367.00.

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $259.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.60, for a total transaction of $235,220.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,422 shares in the company, valued at $4,394,527.20. The trade was a 5.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $68,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 50,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,819,025. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 4,339 shares of company stock valued at $1,353,910 in the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $314,890,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 14.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $991,089,000 after purchasing an additional 433,830 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 24,798.7% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in AeroVironment by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $173,540,000 after purchasing an additional 262,239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Down 6.0%

AVAV stock opened at $264.63 on Friday. AeroVironment has a 52 week low of $102.25 and a 52 week high of $417.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $285.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $293.70. 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 $13.21 billion, a PE ratio of -211.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 1.23.

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

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.

About AeroVironment

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.