AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Down 2.8% – Here’s Why

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) was down 2.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $195.32 and last traded at $196.28. Approximately 852,195 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 1,716,482 shares. The stock had previously closed at $201.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on AVAV shares. Raymond James Financial upgraded AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $9.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $214.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $276.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The business’s revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.29, for a total transaction of $49,322.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 49,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,766,052.29. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,975 shares of company stock worth $740,324. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth about $314,890,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $63,185,000 after purchasing an additional 260,072 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 4,770.1% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 260,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $62,941,000 after purchasing an additional 254,864 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.