AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Director Sells $38,067.50 in Stock

Key Points

• Director Stephen Page sold 250 AeroVironment shares for approximately $38,068 at $152.27 per share under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. He retained 48,253 shares, making the sale a relatively small reduction in his position.
• AeroVironment exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.59 in EPS versus the $0.22 consensus and $480.49 million in revenue. Its funded backlog rose to approximately $1.5 billion, supporting future revenue visibility.
• The stock traded at $163.14, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $238.89. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company, including a newly acquired BlackRock stake valued at roughly $574.6 million.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total value of $38,067.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,484.31. This represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded up $6.69 during trading on Thursday, hitting $163.14. 1,771,311 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,692,192. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $156.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.01. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $135.20 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The company has a market cap of $8.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -69.72, a P/E/G ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.41.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $480.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.25 EPS for the current year.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Funded backlog provides revenue visibility: AeroVironment ended fiscal first quarter 2027 with approximately $1.5 billion in funded backlog, up from $1.2 billion at the end of the prior quarter. The backlog consists of firm, funded customer orders and could support management’s growth outlook as orders convert into revenue. AeroVironment Has $1.5 Billion in Funded Backlog
• Positive Sentiment: Broader defense platform strengthens the growth narrative: Coverage highlights AeroVironment’s expanding autonomous-systems, counter-drone and directed-energy portfolio, including opportunities across unmanned aerial systems and high-energy lasers. This diversification could increase its addressable market and reduce reliance on any single product line. Is AeroVironment Becoming a Broader Defense Technology Platform?
• Positive Sentiment: New agreements support capacity and directed-energy programs: A long-term agreement with Attalon covers delivery of Valaris high-energy laser platforms, while a collaboration with Nominal will digitize manufacturing and testing data. The initiatives may help AeroVironment scale production and improve execution as customer demand grows. Attalon and AeroVironment Execute Long-Term Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative strength within the drone sector: AeroVironment has held up better than more speculative drone companies during the sector’s recent weakness, reinforcing its perception as a defense contractor with established programs rather than a purely speculative drone stock. Speculative Drone Names Extend Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal: Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares and Chief Accounting Officer Brian Shackley sold 100 shares at $152.27 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The sales were small relative to their remaining holdings and appear scheduled, limiting their significance, but they do not provide a positive insider-buying signal. SEC Insider Sale Filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth about $574,566,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $213,956,000 after acquiring an additional 71,903 shares in the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 48.4% in the fourth quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $174,681,000 after acquiring an additional 235,685 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 18.8% in the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 490,426 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $89,772,000 after acquiring an additional 77,619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $69,745,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on AVAV. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial upgraded AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $285.00 price objective on AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $238.89.

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and produces unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-unmanned aircraft systems and related robotic technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and tactical communications applications.

The company's portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Wasp small unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.

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