AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Up 2.3% – Still a Buy?

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) rose 2.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $311.70 and last traded at $309.57. Approximately 1,183,088 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 1,890,667 shares. The stock had previously closed at $302.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $295.00 to $389.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.41.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $15.46 billion, a PE ratio of -247.66, a PEG ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business’s 50-day moving average is $287.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.07.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,503 over the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in AeroVironment by 550.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $56,115,000 after buying an additional 150,819 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 13.5% in the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 1.4% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the second quarter worth approximately $273,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.