AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 5.2% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Shares were down 5.2% on Friday, trading as low as $186.18 and last at $191.42 on roughly 1.57M shares, about 10% below average after a prior close of $201.99.
• AeroVironment missed quarterly estimates with $0.64 EPS versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $408.05M versus $487.94M expected, and its FY2026 guidance of $2.75–3.10 EPS sits below the sell‑side mean of 3.38.
• Several analysts have cut price targets (e.g., Stifel to $315, Piper Sandler to $290), but the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy” with a consensus target of $318.78.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) was down 5.2% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $186.18 and last traded at $191.42. Approximately 1,565,955 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 1,742,562 shares. The stock had previously closed at $201.99.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on AVAV shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Down 5.2%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $219.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $281.22. The firm has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at $3,598,638.30. The trade was a 2.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,725 shares of company stock worth $691,001 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in AeroVironment by 100.0% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

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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