Weiss Ratings Upgrades AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) to Hold (C-)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has upgraded AeroVironment from a "sell (d+)" to a "hold (c-)" rating, indicating improved sentiment among analysts following positive performance metrics.
• AeroVironment's stock saw a 2.7% increase in value, reaching $405.93 during midday trading, with a market capitalization of approximately $20.27 billion.
• The company's quarterly revenue surged by 140% year-over-year to $454.68 million, although EPS fell short of analysts' expectations.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Weiss Ratings from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on AeroVironment from $320.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Wedbush upgraded AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AeroVironment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 22nd. BTIG Research raised their price objective on AeroVironment from $300.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp began coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, August 4th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $356.07.

AeroVironment Stock Up 2.7%

AeroVironment stock traded up $10.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $405.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 606,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 895,904. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $269.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $214.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.96 and a quick ratio of 5.12. AeroVironment has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $406.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -633.20, a PEG ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.99.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.02). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 4.14% and a positive return on equity of 4.67%. The business had revenue of $454.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $446.16 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 140.0% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, insider Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,717 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $381.00, for a total value of $654,177.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 4,907 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,869,567. This trade represents a 25.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 0.3% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 62,969 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,505,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 4.3% in the first quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 9.5% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,374 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $167,000 after acquiring an additional 119 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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