AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $266.6842.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legacy Bridge LLC raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $979,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 1.1% during the 4th 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. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 3.7% in 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 lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 29.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 495 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $120,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $149.51 on Wednesday. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $166.78 and a 200-day moving average of $212.85. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $135.20 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The stock has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a PE ratio of -40.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.39.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The company’s revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms reiterated the approaching July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in the AVAV securities class action, keeping AeroVironment in the news and highlighting ongoing legal overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also saw another round of short-interest commentary, but the filing reported zero shares short, so it does not appear to add meaningful new pressure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment recently scored a new Army contract, and investors have also been encouraged by strong defense-program momentum, which supports the long-term revenue outlook even as the stock trades lower near term. Article Title

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.