AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Target Cut by Citizens Jmp

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price objective dropped by equities research analysts at Citizens Jmp from $230.00 to $170.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “market outperform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price target indicates a potential upside of 44.52% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $285.00 price objective on AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings cut AeroVironment from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. UBS Group lifted their target price on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Wolfe Research lowered AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.80.

AeroVironment Stock Down 0.2%

AVAV stock opened at $117.63 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of -50.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.40. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $116.30 and a fifty-two week high of $408.25. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. The firm had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total transaction of $38,067.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,484.31. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671 over the last 90 days. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. Carnegie Investment Counsel purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth about $285,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 191,312 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,208,000 after buying an additional 43,667 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 23.4% during the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,342,000 after buying an additional 3,120 shares in the last quarter. Canal Insurance CO lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 14.3% during the third quarter. Canal Insurance CO now owns 80,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $11,378,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clark Financial Services Group Inc. BD lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 20.3% during the third quarter. Clark Financial Services Group Inc. BD now owns 1,793 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Australian manufacturing expansion: AeroVironment partnered with NIOA Australia to explore local production, co-production and sustainment of one-way attack systems. The arrangement could improve AVAV’s access to Australian and broader Indo-Pacific defense markets, while supporting local supply chains and recurring sustainment revenue. AeroVironment Expands Australian Defense Manufacturing Through NIOA
• Positive Sentiment: Favorable sector outlook: Macquarie Research initiated coverage of AeroVironment with an Outperform rating, identifying the company as a beneficiary of a projected multiyear aerospace and defense investment cycle. The firm cited rising sovereign defense spending and demand for autonomous systems, drone warfare and space technologies. Top Aerospace & Defense Stocks According to Macquarie Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer-sector activity: AeroVironment shares edged higher alongside Kratos as Red Cat Holdings’ proposed acquisition of Steyr Motors drew attention to drone propulsion and defense technology. The move offered limited company-specific information for AVAV. Red Cat Jumps 8% on Cash Offer for Steyr Motors; AeroVironment and Kratos Edge Higher
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target reduction: Citizens JMP lowered its AVAV target to $170 from $230 while retaining a Market Outperform rating. The cut reflects budget and election uncertainty and may weigh on sentiment, although the revised target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels. AeroVironment Price Target Lowered at Citizens

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and supplies uncrewed aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-uncrewed-aircraft systems, space systems and related autonomous technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, tactical communications and other defense and security missions.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Quantix unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.