AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 2.2% - Here's Why

Key Points

• AeroVironment's shares fell 2.2% to $231.61, with trading volume decreasing 56% from the average, indicating notable market activity.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Buy" for the stock, with targets ranging from $275 to $325 following recent research reports.
• The company reported a 39.6% year-over-year revenue increase, exceeding expectations with $275.05 million in revenue and an EPS of $1.61 for the last quarter.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) shares dropped 2.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $230.56 and last traded at $231.61. Approximately 360,545 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 824,411 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.91.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AVAV. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, August 4th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, June 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $301.00 price objective for the company. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $292.33.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.6%

The business's 50 day moving average price is $252.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.64 billion, a PE ratio of 150.42 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a current ratio of 3.52.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 24th. The aerospace company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. AeroVironment had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The business had revenue of $275.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $242.69 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 122,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,153,390.65. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 21.5% during 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 grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,023 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,286,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in AeroVironment by 1.7% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,885 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $822,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Investments LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Redwood Investments LLC now owns 9,273 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AeroVironment

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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