AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 2.3% – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price rose 2.3% on Monday . The company traded as high as $216.00 and last traded at $211.88. Approximately 1,478,568 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 1,988,023 shares. The stock had previously closed at $207.07.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Closed acquisition of Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) for about $200M — expands UAS/AAM engineering, AS9100 manufacturing and hybrid/electric propulsion capabilities that support AeroVironment’s defense growth strategy. AeroVironment Acquires ESAero
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction initially showed upside following the ESAero announcement, reflecting investor appetite for capability-led M&A. AVAV Stock Rises after $200M ESAero Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly results: FQ3 revenue rose 143% YoY to $408M (BlueHalo contributed ~ $176.5M), but the company missed consensus revenue and slightly missed EPS — strong top‑line growth supports longer‑term thesis while misses temper near‑term expectations. AVAV Reports $408M FQ3 Revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Management communication: AeroVironment presented at the JPMorgan Industrials Conference (transcript available) — useful for investor Q&A on integration, margins and guidance. JPMorgan Industrials Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership update: COO Brad Truesdell announced planned retirement — succession and continuity will be monitored by investors but the company has flagged the change. COO Planned Retirement
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: small, routine sales by CAO Brian Shackley (200 shares) and Director Stephen Page (250 shares). Holdings remain substantial; typically viewed as neutral but watched by investors. Insider Selling Filings
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP opened an investor investigation into AeroVironment — a high‑profile securities probe raises headline and litigation risk that can pressure sentiment. Pomerantz Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Another law firm (Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman) is soliciting investor inquiries — multiple inquiries amplify uncertainty and headline risk. Bronstein Solicitation
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target trims: some firms have cut price targets (e.g., BTIG trimmed its target) — lowers upside expectations and can weigh on near‑term sentiment despite many buy ratings. BTIG Cuts Price Target

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AVAV shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price 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. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Trading Down 3.0%

The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -49.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 1.26. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $277.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $292.13.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 4,924 shares of company stock valued at $1,486,038 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the first quarter worth $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $285,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 319.5% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 667 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $190,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,326 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $948,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 678,431 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $193,342,000 after acquiring an additional 6,475 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.