AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 3% After Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) fell 3% on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $214.54 and last traded at $215.85. 1,421,604 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 1,972,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $222.51.

Specifically, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $53,130.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 49,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,573,082.52. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on AVAV shares. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased 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. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition: AVAV closed its acquisition of Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) (~$200M), adding UAS/AAM engineering, AS9100 manufacturing and hybrid/electric propulsion capabilities that support defense growth plans. AeroVironment Acquires ESAero — DroneLife
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 results: revenue jumped ~143% YoY (helped by BlueHalo) but AVAV missed revenue and EPS expectations; management still set FY26 EPS guidance (2.75–3.10), leaving a mixed short‑term outlook. AeroVironment Reports $408M FQ3 Revenue — Yahoo
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage: consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with a ~ $319 average target, but several firms have trimmed targets recently — supportive sentiment but lower price targets cap upside. Analysts Recommend Moderate Buy — AmericanBankingNews
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider activity: small sales disclosed by CAO Brian Shackley and director Stephen Page (200–250 shares each); routine but monitored by investors. SEC Form 4 (Shackley)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management change: announced planned retirement of COO Brad Truesdell — succession/timing could matter for execution but is not an immediate financial red flag. COO Planned Retirement — TipRanks
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation/investigation risk: Pomerantz LLP launched an investor investigation into AVAV and other firms are soliciting inquiries — creates headline risk and uncertainty for investors. Pomerantz Investigation — PR Newswire
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cuts: BTIG trimmed its price target (from $415 to $330) despite keeping a Buy rating — target reductions can temper momentum even if ratings remain constructive. BTIG Cuts Price Target — InsiderMonkey
• Negative Sentiment: Negative media pieces flag AVAV as “risky” — additional critical coverage increases volatility and may amplify selling pressure. AVAV Listed Among Risky Stocks — Yahoo

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 4.54, a current ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $291.04.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. 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 buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.