AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading 3% Higher - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• AeroVironment missed quarterly EPS and revenue (EPS $0.64 vs $0.68 expected; revenue $408.05M vs $487.94M) despite revenue rising 143% year‑over‑year, and guided FY2026 to 2.75–3.10 EPS (analysts forecast ~2.94).
• Several firms have trimmed price targets recently, but the consensus rating remains a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $318.78.
• Shares were trading up about 3% to $197.23 on Monday on below‑average volume, trading well below the 50‑day ($218.26) and 200‑day ($279.70) moving averages; insiders have made modest sales while institutions own roughly 86% of the stock.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) shares traded up 3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $198.60 and last traded at $197.23. 1,001,197 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 1,732,660 shares. The stock had previously closed at $191.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AeroVironment from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Trading Up 3.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.44, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $218.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $279.70. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This represents a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,975 shares of company stock worth $740,324 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

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