AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 5.1% – What’s Next?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares traded down 5.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $276.76 and last traded at $278.39. 1,086,726 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 1,840,117 shares. The stock had previously closed at $293.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.06.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -222.71, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $288.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $294.78.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. AeroVironment’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth about $314,890,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $991,089,000 after purchasing an additional 433,830 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter worth approximately $75,690,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 75.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $173,540,000 after purchasing an additional 262,239 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About AeroVironment

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.