AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 1.2% – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price rose 1.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $147.50 and last traded at $143.47. Approximately 1,064,396 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 1,686,052 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.80.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or reiterated class-action lawsuits against AeroVironment, alleging the company misled investors about its SCAR contract and that the U.S. Space Force was reassessing its acquisition strategy, which may have left shareholders exposed. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms highlighted a July 27, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline for investors who bought AVAV shares between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026, keeping legal risk in focus and adding overhang to the stock. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment also announced it received an MQ-31A designation from Italy’s Ministry of Defence for its JUMP 20 unmanned aircraft system, a positive business development that could support future international demand, though it is being overshadowed by the litigation headlines. Article title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. KeyCorp decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $295.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Clear Str upgraded AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.99, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $170.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.AeroVironment’s revenue for the quarter was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the sale, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock worth $133,502 in the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. 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.