AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target Raised to $333.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Key Points

• The Goldman Sachs Group has raised its price target for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) from $300.00 to $333.00, maintaining a "buy" rating on the stock.
• AeroVironment reported a revenue increase of 140% year-over-year for the last quarter, reaching $454.68 million, although it missed EPS estimates by $0.02.
• As of now, the consensus rating for AeroVironment stock is "Buy," with a consensus target price slightly above the new target at $333.57.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $300.00 to $333.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the aerospace company's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price objective points to a potential downside of 5.76% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on AVAV. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $335.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised AeroVironment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd. Citizens Jmp started coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 4th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $305.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $333.57.

AeroVironment Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of AVAV stock traded up $7.27 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $353.35. 1,077,432 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 882,332. The stock's 50 day moving average is $260.52 and its 200-day moving average is $207.07. The company has a market cap of $17.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -550.29, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 5.96, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $363.77.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 41.0% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $91,000,000 after purchasing an additional 221,948 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 35.4% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,130,000 after buying an additional 4,669 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 94.8% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 4,415 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 2,148 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,142,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 139,835 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $16,667,000 after buying an additional 3,183 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Company Profile

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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