AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading 4% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• AeroVironment's stock price increased by 4% after BTIG Research raised their price target from $300.00 to $415.00, maintaining a buy rating on the stock.
• Multiple analysts have recently upgraded their target prices for AeroVironment, with a consensus price target currently at $347.14 based on various ratings from investment firms.
• The company's latest quarterly earnings report revealed 140% revenue growth year-over-year, although it missed EPS estimates by $0.02, signaling a mixed performance despite strong revenue.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 4% on Friday after BTIG Research raised their price target on the stock from $300.00 to $415.00. BTIG Research currently has a buy rating on the stock. AeroVironment traded as high as $383.80 and last traded at $374.64. 1,678,007 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 89% from the average session volume of 889,735 shares. The stock had previously closed at $360.28.

AVAV has been the topic of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $295.00 to $389.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research cut shares of AeroVironment from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, August 4th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 price target for the company. Bank of America started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price target for the company. Finally, JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $347.14.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 122,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 966 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $433,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 20,717 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $5,903,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Cim Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $729,000. Finally, Cim LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth about $435,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 4.0%

The company's fifty day moving average price is $262.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.69. 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 firm has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -585.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 0.99.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted 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). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.67% and a negative net margin of 4.14%.The firm had revenue of $454.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.16 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 140.0% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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