Citizens Jmp Cuts AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target to $230.00

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price target cut by equities researchers at Citizens Jmp from $350.00 to $230.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “market outperform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 54.99% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on AVAV. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Two equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $148.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $172.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $221.39. AeroVironment has a one year low of $135.20 and a one year high of $417.86.

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 business 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 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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 will post 3.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock worth $133,502. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. F m Investments LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $1,775,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at about $94,655,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $213,956,000 after buying an additional 71,903 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 92.2% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,168,000 after buying an additional 9,675 shares during the period. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 289.9% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $53,714,000 after buying an additional 165,106 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed a Buy rating on AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), and BTIG also reiterated Buy, signaling that some analysts still expect meaningful upside. Article reference
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted growth strategy and new fiscal 2030 targets at Investor Day, including strong long-term revenue and margin goals that some investors view as supportive of the bull case. Article reference
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a German drone order, adding to the company’s backlog and contract momentum. Article reference
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary noted that AeroVironment’s valuation remains a debate, with some saying the stock still screens as expensive despite strong contract wins. Article reference
• Negative Sentiment: RBC downgraded AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) to Hold/Sector Perform and lowered its price target, arguing that growth expectations may be too ambitious. Article reference
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued class-action reminders and deadline notices tied to the company’s securities-fraud case, keeping legal overhang in focus for investors. Article reference

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.