AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives Market Outperform Rating from Citizens Jmp

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)‘s stock had its “market outperform” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Citizens Jmp in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $230.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective points to a potential upside of 47.35% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on AVAV. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.89.

AeroVironment Trading Up 10.9%

Shares of AeroVironment stock traded up $15.29 on Thursday, reaching $156.09. The company had a trading volume of 5,247,041 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,640,896. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $159.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.83. The firm has a market cap of $7.93 billion, a PE ratio of -42.35, a PEG ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.41. AeroVironment has a 52-week low of $135.20 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a current ratio of 4.30.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $480.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the firm’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 owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total transaction of $47,995.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,503 shares in the company, valued at $9,311,605.94. The trade was a 0.51% 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 705 shares of company stock worth $132,979 over the last three months. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 16,307.2% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 6,215,051 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,025,918,000 after purchasing an additional 6,177,171 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $574,566,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $213,956,000 after purchasing an additional 71,903 shares during the period. Heard Capital LLC boosted its position in AeroVironment by 48.4% in the 4th quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $174,681,000 after purchasing an additional 235,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 504,270 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $143,692,000 after buying an additional 73,963 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment reported adjusted earnings of $0.59 per share, well above the roughly $0.22 consensus estimate, while revenue of $480.5 million exceeded expectations and rose 5.7% year over year. AeroVironment Announces Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Record funded backlog reached $1.5 billion, up 37% year over year, supported by $700 million of bookings and a 1.4 book-to-bill ratio. Management said fiscal 2027 is off to a strong start and expects a second-half ramp-up as capacity investments support production.
• Positive Sentiment: The company received its first international commercial order for the LOCUST laser weapon system, valued at more than $50 million. Management indicated that directed-energy systems could become a major franchise alongside its existing drone businesses. AV Secures First International Order for LOCUST Directed Energy Counter-Drone Systems
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment maintained its fiscal 2027 outlook, including adjusted EPS guidance of $3.02 to $3.34. JPMorgan raised its price target to $210 and retained an Overweight rating, while Needham and BTIG reiterated Buy ratings with targets of $225 and $205, respectively.
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings beat was partly offset by the need to execute on the anticipated back-half revenue ramp. The company’s revenue outlook was broadly in line with expectations, rather than materially above them.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the adjusted-profit beat, AeroVironment recorded a GAAP net loss, and valuation and execution concerns remain after the stock’s steep prior decline. A law firm has also announced an investigation into the company’s board for potential fiduciary-duty breaches, adding a legal overhang.

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.