AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 15.8% – Should You Sell?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) traded down 15.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $325.09 and last traded at $330.89. 3,485,261 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 71% from the average session volume of 2,035,323 shares. The stock had previously closed at $392.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on AVAV. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.41.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $286.11 and a 200-day moving average of $291.43. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -264.71, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 1.16.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 13.5% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,299,000 after buying an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in AeroVironment by 550.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $56,115,000 after acquiring an additional 150,819 shares during the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth approximately $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its stake in AeroVironment by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,267,000 after acquiring an additional 4,745 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $273,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.