AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 2.5% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• AeroVironment's stock price increased by 2.5% to close at $308.69, with trading volume significantly up by 65% compared to the average.
• Analysts are optimistic about AeroVironment, with two ratings of Strong Buy and multiple buy ratings leading to a consensus recommendation of Buy and a target price of $304.69.
• The company reported quarterly earnings of $0.32 per share, missing estimates, but showed strong revenue growth of 140% year-over-year, reaching $454.68 million.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 2.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $317.11 and last traded at $308.69. Approximately 1,440,676 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 65% from the average daily volume of 874,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $301.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, August 4th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 price objective for the company. Wedbush upgraded shares of AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 4th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $335.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $304.69.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $15.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -482.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $257.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $204.09. 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 (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.02). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 4.14% and a positive return on equity of 4.67%. The business had revenue of $454.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $446.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 140.0% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 296.0% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 99 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 60.3% during the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 5,200.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at about $46,000. 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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