AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 3.9% – Should You Sell?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price was down 3.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $173.63 and last traded at $174.14. 769,145 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 1,622,244 shares. The stock had previously closed at $181.13.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AVAV shares. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $162.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.61. The stock has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a PE ratio of -45.08, a PEG ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

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

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% 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. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 705 shares of company stock worth $132,979 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. F m Investments LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,775,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,655,000. MYDA Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,628,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 289.9% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $53,714,000 after purchasing an additional 165,106 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 92.2% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,168,000 after purchasing an additional 9,675 shares during the period. 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.