AeroVironment’s (AVAV) Underperform Rating Reiterated at Raymond James Financial

Raymond James Financial restated their underperform rating on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a research note published on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports.

AVAV has been the topic of several other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $259.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $348.33.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $226.48 on Monday. AeroVironment has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $285.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $293.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -181.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $75,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,000,300. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of AeroVironment 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,394,527.20. The trade was a 5.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,589 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,910. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $25,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a planned domestic manufacturing expansion (~$30M) to scale production — investors view this as a capacity and revenue-growth signal. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reiterated a Buy rating (high target), providing analyst support that cushions downside and signals confidence in the longer-term story. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company says it is in active negotiations with the U.S. Space Force on the SCAR contract amendment — management’s constructive update helped calm some investor concerns that had driven earlier selling. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Canaccord cut its price target (from $400 to $330) but kept a Buy — reflects confidence in long-term demand while flagging specific near-term program risk. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple brokers trimmed price targets (RBC, Baird, Piper) but many retained Outperform/Overweight ratings — analysts are moderating near-term upside while still acknowledging upside longer term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment will present at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference (management fireside chat) — provides direct investor access and could move the stock if management gives new color on SCAR, margins or bookings. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Raymond James downgraded AVAV to Underperform and commentary around the SCAR re?competition triggered a heavy selloff earlier in the week — the downgrade amplified downside volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Space Force reopened bidding on mobile ground suppliers for the ~$1.4B SCAR program (recompete/rebid), creating contract-execution uncertainty that was the main driver of a ~15–17% one?day drop earlier. This remains the principal near-term downside catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: a director sold 250 shares (small economically but negative in optics) — highlighted in filings and media coverage. Read More.

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.