AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Up 9.1% – Still a Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s stock price shot up 9.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $187.50 and last traded at $186.73. Approximately 1,896,611 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 15% from the average daily volume of 1,645,168 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on AVAV. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wolfe Research downgraded AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Clear Str raised shares of AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Up 9.1%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $200.06. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -50.74, a PEG ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 1.41.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $641.62 million for 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 quarterly revenue was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. F m Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth about $1,775,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at about $94,655,000. MYDA Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth about $3,628,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 289.9% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,714,000 after purchasing an additional 165,106 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 92.2% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,168,000 after purchasing an additional 9,675 shares during the last quarter. 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.