AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Clear Str raised AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $185.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.54, a current ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment has a twelve month low of $156.00 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $184.91 and its 200-day moving average is $238.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -42.84, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.35.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its 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). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The firm had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment’s revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.31, for a total transaction of $40,577.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 49,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,993,929.81. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,598,638.30. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,346 shares of company stock worth $274,456. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $314,890,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 24,798.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares during the period. Swedbank AB grew its stake in AeroVironment by 22,773.4% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $63,185,000 after purchasing an additional 260,072 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in AeroVironment by 4,770.1% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 260,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $62,941,000 after purchasing an additional 254,864 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or reiterated securities class-action claims against AeroVironment, saying investors who bought shares between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026 may pursue recovery, with a lead-plaintiff deadline of July 27, 2026. Article: AVAV Investors Have Opportunity to Lead AeroVironment, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit with the Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: The complaints allege AeroVironment and certain executives made false or misleading statements, including claims tied to the company’s $1.7 billion SCAR contract, which raises uncertainty and potential legal costs. Article: SueWallSt Reminds Shareholders of a Lead Plaintiff Deadline of July 27, 2026 in AeroVironment, Inc. Lawsuit – AVAV
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional firms, including Faruqi & Faruqi, Rosen, Pomerantz, Robbins Geller, Berger Montague, and others, issued investor alerts about the same lawsuit, extending the news flow but adding little new business information. Article: AVAV INVESTOR ACTION: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Reminds AeroVironment (AVAV) Investors of Securities Class Action Deadline on July 27, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: A market note also said AeroVironment and peer Kratos Defense were trading lower, likely reflecting broader weakness in defense-drone names alongside the lawsuit headlines. Article: AeroVironment and Kratos stocks trade down, what you need to know

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.