AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 2.9% – Time to Sell?

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) fell 2.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $146.30 and last traded at $147.94. 1,175,788 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 1,603,722 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Trading Down 2.9%

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $160.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.89. 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 market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 1.41.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The company had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total value of $47,995.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 48,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,311,605.94. This represents a 0.51% 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 Trading of AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in AeroVironment by 16,307.2% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 6,215,051 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,025,918,000 after acquiring an additional 6,177,171 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at approximately $574,566,000. American Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at $69,745,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth about $67,549,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,655,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.