AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Up 8.6% – What’s Next?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price traded up 8.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $258.78 and last traded at $257.20. 1,487,496 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 1,764,902 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AeroVironment from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price objective on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -205.76, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $287.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $294.31.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share 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 on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the sale, the director 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503 in the last quarter. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% in the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.