AeroVironment’s (AVAV) “Market Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Citizens Jmp

Citizens Jmp reaffirmed their market outperform rating on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $230.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on AVAV. Wolfe Research downgraded AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 5th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Wedbush began coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Two 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $247.79.

AeroVironment Stock Down 0.2%

AVAV stock opened at $146.71 on Thursday. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $135.20 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The firm has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a PE ratio of -62.70, a P/E/G ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $157.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.26 and a quick ratio of 3.59.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 48,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,311,605.94. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 705 shares of company stock valued at $132,979. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in AeroVironment by 230.3% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 109 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in AeroVironment by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other 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: Record results and backlog: Fiscal Q1 FY2027 revenue increased 5.7% year over year to a record $480.5 million, while adjusted earnings of $0.59 per share exceeded consensus estimates. Funded backlog rose 37% to approximately $1.5 billion, and the 1.4 book-to-bill ratio points to solid future demand. AeroVironment’s Record Backlog and Earnings Beat Fuel Recovery Case
• Positive Sentiment: LOCUST international expansion: AeroVironment received its first international purchase order for its LOCUST directed-energy counter-drone system, valued at more than $50 million. Management said laser weapons could become a flagship franchise, with low operating costs potentially supporting broader adoption. AeroVironment Secures First International Order for LOCUST
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: JPMorgan raised its target to $210 and Citizens JMP maintained an Outperform rating with a $230 target after the earnings report, reflecting optimism about autonomous systems demand and a second-half production ramp.
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance was maintained but not raised: AeroVironment reaffirmed fiscal 2027 earnings guidance of $3.02–$3.34 per share. However, full-year revenue guidance of approximately $2.18 billion at the midpoint was slightly below analyst expectations, tempering the earnings beat.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution concerns: Analysts note that growth is moderating, profitability remains pressured, and the stock still carries a premium valuation despite its substantial decline from its 12-month high. Investors are also watching the company’s ability to scale LOCUST and other programs efficiently.
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target cut weighs on sentiment: Bank of America retained a Buy rating but lowered its target from $225 to $185, signaling reduced near-term upside expectations and contributing to the stock’s decline.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and produces unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-unmanned aircraft systems and related robotic technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and tactical communications applications.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Wasp small unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.