AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Earns Outperform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $210.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target points to a potential upside of 18.75% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on AVAV. Wedbush began coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $172.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Clear Str raised AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.37.

AeroVironment Stock Down 7.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $176.84 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $8.95 billion, a PE ratio of -48.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $174.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $223.03. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $135.20 and a 12-month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The firm had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock worth $133,502. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at $314,890,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in AeroVironment by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $213,956,000 after acquiring an additional 71,903 shares in the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $174,681,000 after purchasing an additional 235,685 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in AeroVironment by 17.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $216,101,000 after acquiring an additional 101,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 614,444 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $193,390,000 after acquiring an additional 83,322 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: AeroVironment won major new defense business, including a three-year, $500 million IDIQ contract for the JIATF-401 Domestic Shield Program and an $80.5 million Titan MS award, which supports the company’s long-term revenue outlook. Article: AV Awarded $500 million IDIQ for Support of JIATF-401 Domestic Shield Program
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings were strong, with fiscal Q4 revenue of $641.6 million and adjusted EPS of $1.84, reinforcing the company’s operational momentum. Article: AeroVironment Posted Solid Earnings and the Stock Reacted Sharply Higher. If You Can Tolerate Risk, Buy Here.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remains constructive overall, with several buy/overweight ratings and a median price target around $229, suggesting analysts still see upside despite the recent volatility. Article: AeroVironment Slides as Investors Weigh Recent Rally Against Softer FY2027 Profit Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment is being hurt by the securities class action and related investigations, which allege AeroVironment misled investors about the SCAR program and helped trigger a sharp share-price drop. Article: AVAV Investment Deadline: AeroVironment Securities Fraud Class Action Focuses on SCAR Contract Cancellation
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also faces near-term caution after a strong rally, with traders questioning FY2027 profit guidance, integration risk from the BlueHalo deal, and prior accounting-restatement concerns. Article: AeroVironment Slides as Investors Weigh Recent Rally Against Softer FY2027 Profit Outlook

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.