AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 3.7% – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shot up 3.7% on Friday . The company traded as high as $248.60 and last traded at $243.87. 684,661 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 1,666,239 shares. The stock had previously closed at $235.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.06.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $12.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -195.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average is $285.67 and its 200 day moving average is $293.77. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The business had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,589 shares of company stock valued at $1,157,685 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $225,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 13.5% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,299,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $420,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 10,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,016,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $498,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.