Raymond James Financial Reiterates Underperform Rating for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)‘s stock had its “underperform” rating restated by stock analysts at Raymond James Financial in a note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports.

AVAV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.33.

AeroVironment Trading Up 9.6%

AeroVironment stock opened at $228.30 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -182.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $286.15 and a 200-day moving average of $293.73. 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 has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the 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 owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,589 shares of company stock worth $1,428,910. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company statement says it is in active negotiations with the U.S. Space Force on a contract amendment tied to the SCAR ground-station program — an outcome that could preserve a major revenue stream. AV Issues Statement Regarding Active Negotiations for Contract Amendment
• Positive Sentiment: Defense-sector tailwinds and heightened geopolitical tensions (Middle East) have lifted peer stocks and boosted demand expectations for AeroVironment’s drones and tactical systems. That macro support is a likely contributor to today’s uplift. Why Is AeroVironment Stock Soaring Tuesday?
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying business momentum remains strong: recent commentary and filings point to very high revenue growth and record contract awards (management previously reported $3.5B in contract wins and major Y/Y revenue gains), which supports upside if margins and EPS recover. Defense Stocks Are Soaring—AeroVironment’s Earnings Could Close the Gap
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets (Royal Bank of Canada, Baird, Piper Sandler) but left bullish ratings in place — mixed signal: analysts trimmed near-term expectations while still showing meaningful upside. RBC cuts price target on AeroVironment
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in public feeds showed odd/zero figures for early March (likely a data glitch); it doesn’t appear to explain the moves. (Monitor official exchange/CBOE short-interest releases for confirmation.)
• Negative Sentiment: Raymond James downgraded AVAV to Underperform, citing increased risk after the Space Force said it would broaden suppliers and open a rebid for mobile ground stations — that triggered a sharp selloff earlier in the week. Raymond James Downgrades AeroVironment
• Negative Sentiment: Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares recently (Form 4 filed), a small insider sale but typically watched by investors during volatile periods. SEC Form 4 (Page sale)
• Negative Sentiment: Market volatility around the Space Force rebid and analyst downgrades increases near-term execution risk — keep an eye on the company’s upcoming earnings and any formal award/contract updates for SCAR. AeroVironment Tumbles 17% as Space Force Eyes More Mobile Ground Suppliers

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.