AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading 8.6% Higher – Time to Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) was up 8.6% on Friday . The company traded as high as $258.78 and last traded at $257.20. Approximately 1,487,496 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 1,764,902 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price target on AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock Up 8.6%

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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $286.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $294.43. The stock has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -205.76, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 550.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $56,115,000 after purchasing an additional 150,819 shares in the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.4% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $109,267,000 after buying an additional 4,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at about $1,121,000. 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.