AeroVironment’s (AVAV) Buy Rating Reiterated at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reiterated their buy rating on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a $390.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $259.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.33.

AeroVironment Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $226.48 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $285.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $293.26. AeroVironment has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86. 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 has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a PE ratio of -181.18, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 EPS 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 company had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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, equities analysts forecast 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 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,589 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,910. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at about $314,890,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 14.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $991,089,000 after acquiring an additional 433,830 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $173,540,000 after purchasing an additional 262,239 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment News Roundup

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.