AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 7.9% – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) was down 7.9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $234.00 and last traded at $236.88. Approximately 1,527,007 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 1,785,440 shares. The stock had previously closed at $257.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, 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 research report on Friday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock Up 8.6%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $286.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $294.21. The company has a market capitalization of $12.84 billion, a PE ratio of -205.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The company’s revenue was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,503 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 550.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $56,115,000 after purchasing an additional 150,819 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 13.5% in the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.4% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $109,267,000 after buying an additional 4,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at $1,121,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.