AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 4.1% - What's Next?

Key Points

• AeroVironment shares fell 4.1% to about $152.05, with trading volume below average. The stock remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $238.89, despite several recent target reductions and rating changes.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.59 in adjusted EPS versus a $0.22 consensus estimate and $480.49 million in revenue, up 5.7% year over year. Insiders sold 805 shares worth about $142,671 over the past 90 days.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) shares were down 4.1% on Friday. The stock traded as low as $152.03 and last traded at $152.05. Approximately 1,285,994 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 23% from the average session volume of 1,680,727 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $285.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered AeroVironment from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $238.89.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 4.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.12. The firm has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -64.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 48,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,347,484.31. This trade represents a 0.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671 in the last ninety days. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

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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