AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 4.2% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• AeroVironment shares increased by 4.2% during trading, reaching a high of $288.00 before closing at $283.43, significantly above its previous close of $272.07.
• Several analysts have rated AeroVironment with a consensus "Buy" rating and set a target price averaging around $292.92, with some estimating as high as $300.00.
• For the last quarter, AeroVironment reported earnings per share of $0.32, slightly below expectations, while revenue surpassed forecasts with a year-over-year increase of 140%.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 4.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $288.00 and last traded at $283.43. 1,527,597 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 78% from the average session volume of 857,377 shares. The stock had previously closed at $272.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AVAV. Citizens Jmp began 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. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, June 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $301.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $225.00 price objective on AeroVironment and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $292.92.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.7%

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 stock has a market cap of $13.91 billion, a PE ratio of -435.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $254.46 and a 200-day moving average of $198.03.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $454.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $446.16 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 4.14% and a positive return on equity of 4.67%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 140.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,233 shares in the company, valued at $32,153,390.65. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 237 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,023 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,286,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,885 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $822,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

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.