AeroVironment’s (AVAV) Market Outperform Rating Reiterated at Citizens Jmp

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)‘s stock had its “market outperform” rating restated by equities researchers at Citizens Jmp in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $400.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s target price suggests a potential upside of 67.12% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AVAV. Weiss Ratings cut AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp raised their target price on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.7%

NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $4.06 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $239.36. The stock had a trading volume of 346,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,668,192. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $294.18. AeroVironment has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year 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 company has a market cap of $11.95 billion, a PE ratio of -190.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.23.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. Analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,589 shares of company stock worth $1,157,685 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth approximately $314,890,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in AeroVironment by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $991,089,000 after buying an additional 433,830 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after buying an additional 314,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $173,540,000 after buying an additional 262,239 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Army reportedly used AVAV’s LOCUST laser counter?drone system near El Paso (caused a seven?hour airspace shutdown). This is direct operational validation and raises the company’s profile with defense customers — could accelerate follow?on orders or fielding opportunities. Reuters: LOCUST deployed
• Positive Sentiment: AVAV hired Stephen Voline as Senior Director, Washington Operations to deepen engagement with Congress, the DoD and acquisition stakeholders — a move that supports pursuit of higher?value, longer?duration defense contracts. Business Wire: Washington hire
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage frames AVAV as shifting toward larger defense programs (new DC hire + reported USAF deal), which, if sustained, could provide steadier revenue and margin expansion over time. Yahoo Finance: Repositioning story
• Neutral Sentiment: Short?interest filings show anomalous zero shares/0.0 days?to?cover figures for early February — appears to be a reporting/data error and not actionable evidence of a shift in short?seller positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Kevin McDonnell sold 879 shares at ~$267.60 (?5% reduction in his stake). Insider sales can pressure sentiment even when amounts are modest vs. total holdings; the SEC Form 4 is filed. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market pieces (Zacks) highlight recent share weakness and three?month underperformance vs. peers despite contract wins and solid liquidity — amplifies short?term selling pressure and investor caution. Zacks: AVAV falls Zacks: Underperforms

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.