AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Down 4.5% – Here’s Why

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) dropped 4.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $288.29 and last traded at $293.22. Approximately 1,445,028 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the average daily volume of 1,879,758 shares. The stock had previously closed at $306.94.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock 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 company has a market cap of $13.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -222.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $288.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $294.56.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.AeroVironment’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,503. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 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.