AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, eighteen have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $266.6842.

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Clear Str upgraded AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AVAV stock opened at $156.35 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59. The company’s 50-day moving average is $166.56 and its 200-day moving average is $210.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of -42.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.39. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $135.20 and a 1 year 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The business had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment secured a $117.3 million U.S. Army contract for its P550 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) drones. The award reinforces demand for the company’s unmanned systems and could support future revenue and backlog growth. Is AeroVironment Cheap After Its Army Contract And Legal Headlines?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation signals are mixed. A discounted-cash-flow assessment suggests potential upside, while sales-based multiples indicate the shares may still be expensive. Investors are balancing the new contract and AeroVironment’s longer-term growth prospects against a substantial year-to-date decline. AeroVironment Stock Looks Reasonable On Cash Flow But Rich On Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms highlighted a pending securities class-action lawsuit and the deadline for investors to seek lead-plaintiff status. The notices do not establish wrongdoing, but the litigation creates reputational, financial and disclosure-related uncertainty for AVAV shareholders. AVAV Final Deadline Alert
• Negative Sentiment: A Pentagon official reportedly warned that U.S. drone production is facing a major gap. Although increased defense spending could benefit AeroVironment, constrained manufacturing capacity may limit near-term deliveries and raise execution risk across the drone sector. Pentagon Drone Production Gap Report

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.