AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 6.6% – What’s Next?

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shot up 6.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $159.33 and last traded at $159.18. Approximately 960,287 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 42% from the average daily volume of 1,652,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on AVAV shares. Wedbush began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Up 6.6%

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 has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of -43.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $165.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $206.04.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.AeroVironment’s revenue for the quarter was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, 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 at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tema ETFs LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 140.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 648 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $107,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 47.4% in the 2nd quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,392 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,211,000 after buying an additional 4,309 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 22.3% during the second quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 16,451 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after purchasing an additional 2,996 shares during the last quarter. Tactive Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at $260,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in AeroVironment by 25.7% during the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,115 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,990,000 after acquiring an additional 3,698 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.