Piper Sandler Reiterates “Overweight” Rating for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reissued by investment analysts at Piper Sandler in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $248.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 29.47% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also commented on AVAV. UBS Group cut their price target on AeroVironment from $172.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $250.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $295.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.37.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AVAV traded up $19.11 during trading on Thursday, hitting $191.55. 3,092,617 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,668,665. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $175.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.09. The company has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -52.21, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.40. AeroVironment has a twelve month low of $135.20 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.72% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.AeroVironment’s revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock valued at $133,502. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment’s latest quarter was described as a blowout, with earnings and revenue beating estimates and management pointing to strong demand for autonomous systems and counter-drone products.
• Positive Sentiment: The company won a $500 million U.S. Department of Defense contract for counter-unmanned aerial systems, a meaningful catalyst that supports future revenue visibility.
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush upgraded AeroVironment to strong-buy, adding analyst support after the earnings beat and contract win.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed elevated call buying, suggesting traders are positioning for more upside in AVAV.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces highlighted the geopolitical backdrop, arguing that prolonged conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East continues to create long-term demand tailwinds for defense drone makers. Article: A Longlasting Russia-Ukraine War Creates a Catalyst to Buy AeroVironment Stock Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced class-action lawsuits and deadline reminders tied to prior disclosures, which adds legal uncertainty but is not a fresh operating issue. Article: AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: The securities-fraud litigation headlines could weigh on sentiment by reminding investors of alleged issues during the class period and creating potential distraction and headline risk.

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.