Insider Selling: AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) CFO Sells 396 Shares of Stock

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 10th, Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of AeroVironment stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.60, for a total transaction of $235,220.40.
• On Monday, January 12th, Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40.

AeroVironment Trading Down 5.5%

AVAV traded down $12.18 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $209.39. 4,178,622 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,967,831. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $283.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.45 billion, a PE ratio of -167.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.08). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The company had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AVAV shares. Zacks Research lowered AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $400.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $329.89.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Very strong revenue growth (Q3 revenue +143% YoY) and management highlights that underlying business scale and BlueHalo integration remain long?term strengths. Business Wire Q3 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Healthy balance sheet and sizeable institutional ownership give the company optionality to weather contract and timing headwinds; some analysts frame current levels as a value entry if you accept short-term risk. MarketBeat: Value Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q3 earnings materials and call transcript are available for deeper detail — useful for investors who want management’s commentary on timing of government orders and backlog execution. Q3 Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 results missed expectations: adjusted EPS $0.64 vs. consensus (~$0.72) and revenue $408M vs. estimates near $488M — a clear catalyst for selling pressure. MarketBeat Q3 Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance reset: FY2026 adjusted EPS trimmed to $2.75–$3.10 (from $3.40–$3.55) and revenue guidance came in below prior expectations — this materially lowers near?term earnings outlook. WSJ: Guidance Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty: stop?work/termination risk on the BADGER/SCAR program and potential disruption on a ~$1.7B Space Force opportunity have raised near?term revenue and backlog concerns. Blockonomi: SCAR/Contract Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Widespread analyst target trims and rating resets over the last 24 hours (Stifel, RBC, UBS, KeyBanc/KeyCorp and others reduced targets or cautioned), amplifying selling momentum even where ratings were maintained. Benzinga: Analyst Moves

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $273,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 108.4% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 346 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,894,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.