AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading 3.7% Higher - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• AeroVironment's stock increased by 3.7% during trading, reaching a high of $301.12, with significant volume traded, 82% above its average.
• The company received multiple upgrades from analysts, including a "strong-buy" rating from Zacks Research and a $300 target price from both BTIG Research and Royal Bank Of Canada.
• AeroVironment's earnings report revealed a 140% year-over-year revenue increase despite missing EPS estimates, with guidance set for FY 2026 at 3.600-3.700 EPS.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) shares traded up 3.7% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $301.12 and last traded at $298.61. 1,581,488 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 82% from the average session volume of 867,730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $288.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Raymond James Financial set a $225.00 price target on AeroVironment and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $292.92.

AeroVironment Trading Up 3.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a PE ratio of -466.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 5.96, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $254.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $199.12.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $454.68 million for 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%. AeroVironment's revenue for the quarter was up 140.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect 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 that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 296.0% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 99 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter worth about $28,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 171.1% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 244 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake 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 during the period. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.