AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 2% – Still a Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) shares rose 2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $200.26 and last traded at $198.42. Approximately 827,363 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the average daily volume of 1,754,298 shares. The stock had previously closed at $194.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler cut their target price on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $219.57 and a 200 day moving average of $281.22. The company has a quick ratio of 4.54, a current ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a PE ratio of -44.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.38.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.AeroVironment’s revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $53,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,573,082.52. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,725 shares of company stock valued at $691,001. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth about $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $285,000. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth about $633,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 5,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 24,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,892,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.