AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 5.7% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• AeroVironment shares rose 5.7% on Thursday, trading on heavier volume than usual as investors reacted to fresh news flow and analyst upgrades.
• Raymond James upgraded the stock to Outperform with a $210 price target, while other analysts also remain generally constructive; the consensus rating is still Moderate Buy with an average target of $266.68.
• The company’s latest earnings beat expectations, with $1.84 EPS on $641.62 million in revenue, and analysts are watching for longer-term catalysts such as backlog recovery and a potential $500 million Army contract.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) rose 5.7% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $151.88 and last traded at $149.29. 2,189,442 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 30% from the average daily volume of 1,688,418 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.22.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded AeroVironment to Outperform and assigned a $210 price target, which is helping drive buying interest in AVAV. AeroVironment Stock Climbs: What's Happening Today?
• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks and Blockonomi highlighted that the stock’s risk/reward looks more attractive after a sharp decline, with analysts citing backlog recovery and a possible $500 million Army contract as longer-term catalysts. “Risk/Reward Has Turned Decisively Positive”: AeroVironment (AVAV) Stock Gets an Upgrade after 55% Slide
• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms issued repeated reminders about the July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in an existing securities class action, keeping legal overhang in focus but not adding new operational news. AVAV Deadline Alert: Levi & Korsinsky Reminds AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) Investors of Securities Class Action Deadline on July 27, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: The ongoing securities fraud class action and deadline notices may remind investors of prior allegations and contribute to headline risk around AVAV. Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against AeroVironment, Inc. and Certain Officers - AVAV

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVAV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of AeroVironment from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of AeroVironment to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of -40.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $218.09.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 230.3% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 109 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 63 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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