AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• AeroVironment's shares reached a new 52-week high of $389.72, closing at $387.38 with a trading volume of 98,247 shares.
• BTIG Research raised their price target for AeroVironment from $300 to $415 and assigned a "buy" rating, contributing to the stock's positive outlook from multiple analysts.
• The company reported a 140% increase in revenue year-over-year, with a quarterly revenue of $454.68 million, despite missing EPS estimates.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $389.72 and last traded at $387.38, with a volume of 98247 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $374.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AVAV shares. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $300.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Sunday, June 29th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Wedbush raised shares of AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $347.14.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.1%

The company has a current ratio of 5.96, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $211.60. The company has a market cap of $19.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -597.72, a PEG ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 0.99.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.02). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.67% and a negative net margin of 4.14%.The firm had revenue of $454.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.16 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 140.0% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total transaction of $4,550,765.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 966 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $433,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 0.7% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 20,717 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $5,903,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $729,000. Finally, Cim LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $435,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses in the United States and internationally. It operates through Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), Tactical Missile System (TMS), Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS), and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Systems (HAPS) segments.

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