AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 2.1% - What's Next?

Key Points

• AeroVironment's stock fell 2.1% to $230.16, with trading volume significantly down at 244,445 shares compared to the average of 831,550 shares.
• A number of analysts hold a positive outlook for the company, with price targets ranging from $225.00 to $325.00 and a consensus target price of $286.46, indicating a general “Buy” rating.
• In its latest earnings report, AeroVironment exceeded expectations with earnings per share of $1.61, up from $0.43 in the same quarter last year, showing a 39.6% increase in revenue year-over-year.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) shares fell 2.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $227.55 and last traded at $230.16. 244,445 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 831,550 shares. The stock had previously closed at $235.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. Wedbush raised AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. William Blair started coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Sunday, June 29th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on AeroVironment from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Raymond James Financial set a $225.00 price objective on AeroVironment and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 4th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and sixteen have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $286.46.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $247.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.23. The firm has a market cap of $11.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.74 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 2.69.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 24th. The aerospace company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $275.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.69 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 10.68%. AeroVironment's quarterly revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate 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 on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 21.5% in the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 237 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 0.6% in the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,023 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,286,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 60.3% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 1.7% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,885 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $822,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Investments LLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Redwood Investments LLC now owns 9,273 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 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.