AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given New $295.00 Price Target at KeyCorp

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its target price lowered by KeyCorp from $330.00 to $295.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. KeyCorp currently has an overweight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of 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 cut their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $400.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $329.89.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ AVAV opened at $207.73 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $282.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $292.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.08). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The company 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 earnings per share. 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 4,474 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,404 over the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in AeroVironment by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,111,585,000 after purchasing an additional 51,959 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $314,890,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $213,956,000 after buying an additional 71,903 shares during the period. Heard Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 48.4% in the fourth quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $174,681,000 after buying an additional 235,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $216,101,000 after buying an additional 101,713 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Very strong top‑line growth: revenue rose ~143% year‑over‑year (Q3 sales ~$408M), showing robust demand and integration progress after acquisitions. AeroVironment Announces Fiscal 2026 Third Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Healthy balance sheet and backlog: management and coverage notes point to a strong cash position that supports scaling production and pursuing commercial diversification, which some investors view as a longer‑term catalyst. MarketBeat – AeroVironment Profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts cut price targets but many kept positive ratings — firms (Stifel, KeyBanc, RBC, UBS, etc.) trimmed targets to reflect SCAR/timing risk while often retaining Buy/Overweight, leaving potential upside if execution stabilizes.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider activity: CFO sold a small block (~396 shares) disclosed March 10; size and frequency suggest limited signal about management conviction.
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue miss: adjusted EPS $0.64 missed consensus and revenue of $408M came in well below expectations — the immediate trigger for selling. AeroVironment Books A ‘Stellar Quarter,’ But Shares Dive
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance cut: FY2026 adjusted EPS narrowed to $2.75–$3.10 (previously $3.40–$3.55) and revenue guided ~$1.9–$2.0B — below Street expectations, which pressured sentiment and valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty: potential termination/stop‑work on the BADGER/SCAR program and timing disruptions in Space/Cyber/Directed Energy could remove ~$1.7B of expected business, amplifying downside risk. Coverage and news outlets highlighted this as a key negative. AeroVironment falls after revenue, profit miss and lowered outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: heavy volume and a premarket selloff followed by after‑hours declines; multiple media pieces flagged significant intraday moves and price target cuts, increasing volatility and short‑term downside risk. AeroVironment (AVAV) Stock Plunges 9% on Q3 Miss and $1.7B Contract Uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/investor risk: a securities law firm (Pomerantz) opened an investigation related to the disclosure and results, which can add near‑term headline risk.

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.