Canaccord Genuity Group Lowers AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target to $240.00

Key Points

• Canaccord Genuity Group lowered its price target on AeroVironment from $280 to $240, while keeping a Buy rating on the stock.
• The new target still implies about 61.7% upside from the previous close, and the broader analyst view remains constructive with an average Moderate Buy rating and a $273 average target.
• AeroVironment recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.84 EPS on $641.6 million in revenue, with revenue up 133.3% year over year.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by equities researchers at Canaccord Genuity Group from $280.00 to $240.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the aerospace company's stock. Canaccord Genuity Group's target price indicates a potential upside of 61.73% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on AVAV. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday. Clear Str raised shares of AeroVironment to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research cut shares of AeroVironment to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $273.00.

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $148.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.51 billion, a PE ratio of -40.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.39. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $172.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.39. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment has a 52 week low of $135.20 and a 52 week high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The company had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $555.97 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. AeroVironment's quarterly revenue was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 49,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 750 shares of company stock valued at $133,502. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed a Buy rating on AeroVironment NASDAQ: AVAV, and BTIG also reiterated Buy, signaling that some analysts still expect meaningful upside. Article reference
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted growth strategy and new fiscal 2030 targets at Investor Day, including strong long-term revenue and margin goals that some investors view as supportive of the bull case. Article reference
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a German drone order, adding to the company’s backlog and contract momentum. Article reference
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary noted that AeroVironment’s valuation remains a debate, with some saying the stock still screens as expensive despite strong contract wins. Article reference
• Negative Sentiment: RBC downgraded AeroVironment NASDAQ: AVAV to Hold/Sector Perform and lowered its price target, arguing that growth expectations may be too ambitious. Article reference
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued class-action reminders and deadline notices tied to the company’s securities-fraud case, keeping legal overhang in focus for investors. Article reference

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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