AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

AVAV has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Clear Str raised AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $207.24 on Friday. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $156.00 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. The company has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50-day moving average of $185.32 and a 200-day moving average of $242.53.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The business had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This represents a 2.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,596 shares of company stock worth $349,456 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the first quarter worth $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AVAV is benefiting from renewed investor enthusiasm for U.S. drone stocks after reports said the Trump administration is exploring funding deals, and possibly deeper government support, for domestic drone manufacturers. Drone Stocks Surge As Unusual Machines Jumps 57% On Funding Talks
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a $20 million U.S. Air Force and Space Force contract, reinforcing demand for its defense technology and helping drive the recent rally. AV Awarded $20 Million Contract to Advance Ceramic Materials Research for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force
• Positive Sentiment: Investors also reacted to another government-backed win: a $43 million contract to integrate AVAV’s PANTHER antenna onto SkyRange platforms, adding to confidence in future contract momentum. AeroVironment (AVAV) Secures $43M Contract to Integrate PANTHER Antenna onto SkyRange Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders are also watching unusual options activity and strong volume, suggesting elevated speculation around the stock’s move. Traders Purchase Large Volume of AeroVironment Call Options (NASDAQ:AVAV)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or promoted securities class-action claims tied to AVAV, creating a legal overhang that could pressure sentiment despite the operational positives. AVAV Investors Have Opportunity to Lead AeroVironment, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit

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.