William Blair Has Weak Outlook for AeroVironment Q2 Earnings

Key Points

• William Blair's New Estimate: Analyst L. Dipalma lowers AeroVironment's Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $0.64 from $0.85, maintaining an "Outperform" rating on the stock.
• Investor Sentiment: Despite the downgrade, AeroVironment has received multiple positive ratings from various analysts, including a "strong-buy" from Citizens Jmp with a price target of $325.
• Stock Performance: AeroVironment's shares have a 52-week range between $102.25 and $295.90, with a current market cap of $12.07 billion and a reported revenue increase of 140% year-over-year.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) - Investment analysts at William Blair dropped their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of AeroVironment in a report released on Wednesday, September 10th. William Blair analyst L. Dipalma now forecasts that the aerospace company will post earnings of $0.64 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.85. William Blair has a "Outperform" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for AeroVironment's current full-year earnings is $3.38 per share.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AeroVironment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $292.33.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV traded up $1.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $243.00. 781,420 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 902,990. The firm has a market cap of $12.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -379.68 and a beta of 1.02. The stock's fifty day moving average is $251.76 and its 200 day moving average is $193.23. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 5.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. AeroVironment has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $295.90.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $454.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.67% and a negative net margin of 4.14%.The business's revenue was up 140.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,233 shares in the company, valued at $32,153,390.65. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,272 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,967,000 after buying an additional 6,589 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in AeroVironment by 90.2% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,137 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $944,000 after purchasing an additional 2,910 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in AeroVironment by 98.1% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,246 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $653,000 after purchasing an additional 2,103 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 120.2% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in AeroVironment by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 43,584 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,707,000 after purchasing an additional 9,621 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.