AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 6% on Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price fell 6% during mid-day trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $263.95 and last traded at $264.63. 1,111,473 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 31% from the average session volume of 1,613,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $281.67.

Specifically, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $68,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,819,025. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.95, for a total value of $127,475.00. Following the sale, the director owned 50,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,875,229.95. This trade represents a 0.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $415.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $367.00.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bull case: a Seeking Alpha deep dive highlights the BlueHalo acquisition, the firm’s LOCUST directed‑energy progress, a $1.1B funded / $3B unfunded backlog and ~93% 2026 revenue visibility — analysts there model a fair value near $290, supporting upside vs. recent prices. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum note: The Motley Fool reports AVAV “climbed 15%” recently, citing an unexpected catalyst and increased Wall Street attention — this type of momentum can attract short‑term buyers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New coverage: UBS initiated coverage with a “neutral” rating and a $259 price target (slightly below recent levels) — this provides more liquidity in analyst views but is unlikely to spark a major re‑rating on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: AV’s CFO will appear at the Citizens Technology Conference (fireside chat March 2, to be webcast) — useful for incremental transparency but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: a Yahoo piece questions whether the recent ~33% pullback already prices in risk and examines DCF upside potential — highlights disagreement among investors on fair value, which can sustain volatility. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Critical take: a Seeking Alpha column titled “Shockingly Uninteresting” raises skeptical points on growth durability and excitement, which can reinforce selling pressure among more value‑oriented investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Noisy short‑interest reports: multiple feeds flagged a “large increase” in February short interest, but the published figures appear inconsistent/erroneous (zeros/NaN). Even so, headlines about rising shorts can trigger fear/stop‑loss selling and add to intraday downside.

AeroVironment Trading Down 6.0%

The firm has a market cap of $13.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -211.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $285.39 and a 200-day moving average of $293.70.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its 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). The company had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 60.0% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.