AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 7.5% on Insider Selling

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price was down 7.5% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $155.81 and last traded at $159.79. 1,612,640 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 0% from the average daily volume of 1,619,067 shares. The stock had previously closed at $172.74.

Specifically, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total transaction of $47,995.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 48,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,311,605.94. This 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 is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AVAV. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a current ratio of 4.30. The stock has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -43.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $162.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $191.61.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $641.62 million for 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. F m Investments LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at $1,775,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $94,655,000. MYDA Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $3,628,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 289.9% during 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 purchasing an additional 165,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 92.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 9,675 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.