AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 5.1% – Time to Sell?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares traded down 5.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $276.76 and last traded at $278.39. 1,086,726 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 1,840,117 shares. The stock had previously closed at $293.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on AeroVironment from $295.00 to $389.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $13.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -222.71, a PEG ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $288.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.47. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.AeroVironment’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,503 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 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.