AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given "Buy" Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies reaffirmed a "Buy" rating on AeroVironment with a $390 price target (implying about an 87% upside), while the street consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $367.
• Shares fell 17.4% to $208.32 on heavy volume amid an analyst downgrade and volatile sentiment, despite the company reporting a Q that missed EPS ($0.44 vs. $0.87) but showed ~150% revenue growth year‑over‑year and FY2026 guidance of 3.400–3.550 EPS.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $390.00 target price on the aerospace company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price suggests a potential upside of 87.21% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered AeroVironment from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $367.00.

AeroVironment Trading Down 17.4%

Shares of AeroVironment stock traded down $43.93 on Monday, hitting $208.32. The stock had a trading volume of 13,323,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,798,658. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $287.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $294.15. AeroVironment has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $10.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -166.66, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $472.51 million during 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 was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,339 shares of company stock valued at $1,353,910. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Michigan Retirement System acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,393,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 550.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $56,115,000 after purchasing an additional 150,819 shares during the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $37,787,000. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at $2,355,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. grew its position in AeroVironment by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $109,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,745 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Defense tailwinds and company fundamentals remain supportive: AVAV has reported strong revenue growth (~145% Y/Y), a record ~$3.5B in contract awards and management has given FY guidance that positions earnings as a potential catalyst. Investors view upcoming results as a chance for margins and EPS to catch up to top-line momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical demand narrative: Coverage highlighting “kamikaze”/loitering munitions and UAS demand (especially in the Iran conflict) frames AVAV as a direct beneficiary of near-term military demand, supporting upside if sales translate into higher-margin product mix. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings timing: AVAV is set to report next-day earnings — the print and any margin commentary will likely be the immediate fundamental driver and could either reverse or deepen today’s move depending on beats/misses and guidance. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade triggered sharp selling: Raymond James cut AVAV from Buy to Sell/Underperform, a move investors cited as the main catalyst for the intraday collapse as the downgrade appears to have sparked stop-losses and rapid position liquidation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrade rationale and program risk: StreetInsider/Benzinga coverage notes Raymond James’ concerns tied to program-level risks (e.g., SCAR program recompetition) that could pressure future contract clarity and margins — a direct hit to valuation sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction to Iran strikes was mixed: Defense peers rallied on geopolitical news, and AVAV initially popped but then plunged as the downgrade and intraday selling overwhelmed the sector tailwind — showing the stock is now trading more on near-term sentiment than fundamentals. Read More.

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.

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