AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 3.6% – Here’s Why

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price was up 3.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $196.32 and last traded at $196.02. 981,632 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 40% from the average session volume of 1,640,005 shares. The stock had previously closed at $189.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on AVAV shares. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $162.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $197.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -53.27, a P/E/G ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 1.41.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The firm had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $555.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 230.3% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 109 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in AeroVironment by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.