AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 2.1% Following Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price traded down 2.1% on Friday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $159.40 and last traded at $159.95. Approximately 2,416,687 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 43% from the average session volume of 1,694,732 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.38.

Specifically, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total value of $38,067.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 48,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,347,484.31. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of AeroVironment from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.89.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment reported fiscal first-quarter revenue of approximately $480.5 million, up about 6% year over year, and earnings of $0.59 per share versus the $0.22 consensus estimate. Management maintained fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $3.02–$3.34, reinforcing the earnings-recovery case. AeroVironment Earnings Call Highlights Growth Path
• Positive Sentiment: Funded backlog increased to approximately $1.5 billion from $1.2 billion at the prior quarter-end. Because these are firm, funded orders, backlog conversion could provide revenue visibility and support future guidance. AeroVironment Has $1.5 Billion in Funded Backlog
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary points to AeroVironment becoming a broader defense-technology platform spanning autonomous systems, counter-drone products and directed energy. A wider product portfolio could increase contract opportunities and reduce reliance on individual programs. Is AeroVironment Becoming a Broader Defense Technology Platform?
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Stephen Page and Chief Accounting Officer Brian Shackley sold a combined 350 shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions were small compared with their remaining holdings, so they offer limited evidence of changing insider conviction. AeroVironment Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: An earnings analysis highlighted cancellation of the SCAR program and a material weakness in internal controls. These issues raise questions about contract execution, reporting reliability and the timing of future growth, even though the company has shown resilience. AeroVironment Earnings Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns that the market is pricing in too much acquisition risk may limit valuation upside. Potential integration challenges, financing requirements and execution risk could overshadow the company’s improving operating outlook. AeroVironment Acquisition Risk Analysis

AeroVironment Trading Down 2.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.38. The stock has a market cap of $8.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -68.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 1.41.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $480.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at about $574,566,000. American Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at $69,745,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $67,549,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $94,655,000. Finally, Korea Investment CORP acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth $54,901,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and produces unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-unmanned aircraft systems and related robotic technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and tactical communications applications.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Wasp small unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.