AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Down 6.1% on Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares traded down 6.1% during trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $180.66 and last traded at $181.13. Approximately 1,050,912 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 35% from the average session volume of 1,628,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $192.81.

Specifically, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AVAV shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -49.22, a P/E/G ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a current ratio of 4.30. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.30.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The business’s revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.