AeroVironment’s (AVAV) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities researchers at BTIG Research in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $205.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock. BTIG Research’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 45.60% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on AVAV. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wedbush started coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citizens Jmp decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.47.

AeroVironment Stock Down 5.4%

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $140.80 on Thursday. AeroVironment has a twelve month low of $135.20 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.41. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $159.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.83.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $480.49 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total value of $47,995.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 48,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,311,605.94. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 705 shares of company stock valued at $132,979 over the last 90 days. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 29.7% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 2,667 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 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 and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings beat: Fiscal Q1 2027 adjusted EPS was $0.59, well above the $0.22 consensus estimate and up from $0.32 a year earlier. Revenue rose 5.7% to a record $480.5 million, exceeding analyst forecasts. AeroVironment Announces Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog and bookings support visibility: Quarterly bookings reached approximately $700 million, producing a 1.4 book-to-bill ratio, while funded backlog climbed 37% year over year to a record $1.5 billion. Management said fiscal 2027 is off to a strong start. AVAV Stock Rebounds After-Hours on Record Sales and $1.5B Backlog
• Positive Sentiment: New growth opportunity in directed energy: Investors are responding to AeroVironment’s LOCUST high-energy laser counter-drone system, which management believes could become a major business and offers a low-cost-per-shot solution. The company also received its first international LOCUST order. AeroVironment Says Laser Weapons Could Become a Flagship Franchise
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year outlook remains mixed: Fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $3.02–$3.34 brackets the roughly $3.21 analyst consensus, while revenue guidance of about $2.1–$2.2 billion is near or slightly below expectations. This limits the impact of the quarterly beat on long-term estimates.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks remain: Despite the adjusted-profit beat, AeroVironment posted a GAAP net loss, and investors continue to question whether the company can convert its backlog into profitable growth. The stock’s elevated valuation and recent insider selling may add pressure. A law firm has also announced an investigation into the board, creating an additional overhang. Berger Montague Investigates AeroVironment Board

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.