UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price target reduced by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $259.00 to $236.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 11.38% from the company’s current price.

AVAV has been the topic of several other reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $211.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $281.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.12.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,474 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,404. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth about $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and commentators highlight a value entry / technical bottom after the March selloff, noting institutional accumulation and a still‑large backlog that could support a rebound. AeroVironment Touches Down On Value Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms kept Buy/Overweight ratings even while trimming price targets, signaling analyst conviction that upside remains once near‑term headwinds clear. Analyst notes (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 results showed revenue up ~143% YoY (~$408M) but missed revenue and EPS estimates; FY‑2026 EPS guidance was trimmed to $2.75–$3.10 — strong growth but weaker near‑term visibility. Q3 miss and outlook (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Backlog and demand signals remain constructive (record backlog cited), which supports medium‑term revenue prospects if contract timing stabilizes. QuiverQuant earnings/opinion summary
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty: reports of the Space Force SCAR program stop‑work/possible termination create ~$1.4–1.7B of backlog risk and were a major reason for the recent selloff. SCAR contract uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Financing risk: disclosure of a $727M notes issuance raises leverage, tightens covenants and increases liquidity risk — a new material consideration for investors. Notes issuance risk (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal & insider headline risk: Pomerantz launched an investor probe and the CFO disclosed a small sale of shares — both raise short‑term headline noise. Pomerantz investigation (PR Newswire) CFO Form 4
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the feeds looks inconsistent (reported as 0/NaN) — no clear short squeeze signal from the available data. Short interest notes (Benzinga)

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.