AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Rating Increased to Market Perform at Raymond James Financial

Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports.

AVAV has been the subject of several other reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Trading Up 4.3%

AeroVironment stock opened at $206.27 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51. The firm has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $102.25 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $266.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $291.32.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,924 shares of company stock valued at $1,486,038. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded AVAV from “Underperform” to “Market Perform,” citing a valuation reset that makes the stock more attractive to some investors; the upgrade helped buy-side interest and reduced seller pressure. Raymond James upgrades AeroVironment (AVAV)
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a roughly $117M U.S. Army contract for P550 drones — a material win that supports near-term revenue visibility and validates product demand in defence programs. This contract was cited as a primary reason for the stock jump. AeroVironment (AVAV) Stock Jumps 5% Following Major Army Deal and Rating Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market drivers: defense and aerospace names rallied after the U.S. administration postponed military action against Iran following productive talks, reducing near-term geopolitical risk and lifting related stocks, including AVAV. Orion, nLIGHT, Quest Resource, AeroVironment, and Northwest Pipe Shares Are Soaring, What You Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in late March shows effectively zero reported short interest (data appears anomalous), implying short-covering is unlikely to be a major driver right now — treat as noise until clarified by exchanges. (No link available)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: a high-profile drone/autonomy IPO (Swarmer) grabbed headlines this week, increasing attention on the drone sector but not directly changing AVAV fundamentals. Swarmer’s 520% Debut Day Gain Masks a 2,161x Revenue Multiple and No Analyst Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Remaining fundamental concerns: recent quarterly results missed revenue and EPS expectations and management set FY2026 EPS guidance (2.75–3.10) below consensus, which keeps downward pressure on valuation and raises questions about sustainable margins and growth pacing. AeroVironment stock price sinks as risky patterns emerge: can it hit $170?

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.