AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 6.5% – Time to Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price rose 6.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $222.40 and last traded at $210.07. Approximately 2,434,311 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 40% from the average daily volume of 1,741,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $197.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AVAV. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. BTIG Research lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Down 3.9%

The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -46.52, a PEG ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.38. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $214.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $276.93.

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 company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.95, for a total transaction of $127,475.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,875,229.95. This represents a 0.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,975 shares of company stock worth $740,324. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 498 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $979,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.