AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $134.51 and last traded at $134.7830, with a volume of 807310 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $143.54.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment received a $464.8 million U.S. Army production contract for its Enduring High Energy Laser program. The award expands AVAV beyond unmanned aircraft and could provide a meaningful new source of defense revenue. AeroVironment Lands $464.8 Million Directed Energy Contract
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s LOCUST laser weapon system secured its first international order, valued at more than $50 million, including initial delivery and support. International adoption could broaden AVAV’s growth beyond U.S. government contracts. Can LOCUST Lasers Power the Next Leg of AeroVironment Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights record revenue and backlog, growing demand for autonomous systems, and additional defense contracts. These factors support the longer-term growth case, although investors still want evidence that bookings can translate into sustained earnings and cash flow. Can AeroVironment Scale Autonomous Systems to Drive Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment’s VideoRay subsidiary was selected for a U.S. Navy mine-countermeasure prototype program, adding another potential avenue for future defense work. AeroVironment VideoRay Selected for U.S. Navy Program

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered AeroVironment from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.37.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 4.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.12. The company has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.80, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.36.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $451.95 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at $7,347,484.31. This trade represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in AeroVironment by 52.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 82.1% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 652 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 16,594 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 20.1% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 595,134 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $84,640,000 after purchasing an additional 99,494 shares during the period. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 96.0% during the 3rd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 14,449 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,055,000 after purchasing an additional 7,076 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and supplies autonomous systems, uncrewed aircraft, loitering munitions and counter-uncrewed-aircraft systems. Its portfolio includes small unmanned aircraft systems such as Raven, Puma and Wasp, as well as larger platforms including JUMP 20 and Quantix Recon.

The company is also known for its Switchblade family of loitering munitions, which combine surveillance, target identification and precision strike capabilities. AeroVironment provides related ground control systems, sensors, software, communications equipment, training and support services for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Founded in 1971 by aerospace engineer Paul B.