AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $375.4118.

AVAV has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $295.00 to $389.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 550.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $56,115,000 after acquiring an additional 150,819 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 13.5% in the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares during the period. Rheos Capital Works Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth about $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.4% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,745 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at approximately $273,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $309.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -247.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $287.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $294.39. AeroVironment has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The company had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

About AeroVironment

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.