AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Sets New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Key Points

• AeroVironment's stock hit a new 52-week high of $315.50 on Monday, closing at $312.55 after trading 161,882 shares.
• Brokerage firms have significantly increased price targets for AeroVironment, with Robert W. Baird raising theirs to $267 and Jefferies Financial Group to $285, contributing to a consensus rating of "Buy".
• Despite reporting a quarterly earnings miss with $0.32 per share against an expected $0.34, AeroVironment's revenue grew by 140% year-over-year to $454.68 million.

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $315.50 and last traded at $312.55, with a volume of 161882 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $301.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AVAV. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on AeroVironment from $210.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on AeroVironment from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $305.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wedbush upgraded AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $295.23.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $15.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -493.80, a PEG ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.96 and a quick ratio of 5.12. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $257.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $204.09.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $454.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,153,390.65. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 41.0% in the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $91,000,000 after acquiring an additional 221,948 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 35.4% in the first 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 lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 94.8% in the first 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. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,142,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 2.3% in the first 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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