AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $318.7778.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AVAV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th.

AeroVironment Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of AVAV opened at $215.85 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $275.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $291.59. 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 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -49.73, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition: AVAV closed a ~ $200M deal for Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero), expanding UAS/AAM engineering, AS9100 manufacturing and hybrid/electric propulsion capabilities — bolsters long‑term defense and product roadmap. AeroVironment Acquires ESAero
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly results showed strong top‑line growth ($408M, +143% YoY driven by BlueHalo) but AVAV missed consensus revenue and EPS; management set FY26 EPS guidance of $2.75–3.10 (below street consensus), creating mixed near‑term expectations. FQ3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor engagement: AVAV presented at the JPMorgan Industrials Conference (transcript available) — useful for detail and tone but not an immediate catalyst by itself. JPMorgan Presentation Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider moves: CAO Brian Shackley and director Stephen Page disclosed small share sales (200 and 250 shares); holdings remain substantial — routine but sometimes watched by investors. Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation/investigation risk: Pomerantz LLP has launched an investor investigation and other firms (Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman) are soliciting inquiries — increases headline and legal risk, which often pressures shares. Pomerantz Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst / sentiment pressure: BTIG trimmed its price target (from $415 to $330) and some media pieces highlight risks in AVAV’s profile — analyst cuts and negative commentary can weigh on sentiment despite strategic positives. BTIG Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Critical coverage: Articles calling out risks (operational or valuation) add downward pressure and may amplify selling in the short term. Critical Coverage

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,924 shares of company stock worth $1,486,038. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in AeroVironment by 1.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,111,585,000 after purchasing an additional 51,959 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $314,890,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $213,956,000 after buying an additional 71,903 shares during the period. Heard Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 48.4% in the 4th quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $174,681,000 after buying an additional 235,685 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $216,101,000 after buying an additional 101,713 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.