KeyCorp Upgrades AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) to Strong-Buy

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was upgraded by research analysts at KeyCorp to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

AVAV has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $375.41.

AeroVironment Stock Up 5.3%

AVAV stock opened at $243.01 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $311.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $276.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -194.41, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 1.13. AeroVironment 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, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 998 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Friday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $399.74, for a total value of $398,940.52. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,724,575.76. The trade was a 4.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.00, for a total transaction of $654,177.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 4,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,869,567. This trade represents a 25.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,739 shares of company stock worth $1,350,585. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $629,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,078,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 722 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 512.4% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 10,104 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,200,000 after purchasing an additional 8,454 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 95.5% in the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,472 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.