AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 4% – Here’s What Happened

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares traded down 4% on Monday . The company traded as low as $175.42 and last traded at $176.97. 1,167,084 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 38% from the average session volume of 1,890,370 shares. The stock had previously closed at $184.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on AVAV shares. Raymond James Financial raised AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research downgraded AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reduced their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Down 4.0%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $251.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $290.15. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.84 billion, a PE ratio of -40.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The company had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,924 shares of company stock worth $1,486,038. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 28.9% in the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 400,457 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $126,100,000 after purchasing an additional 89,697 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,393,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 550.7% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth approximately $2,355,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $17,934,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.