AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 5.6% – What’s Next?

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) rose 5.6% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $162.30 and last traded at $158.73. Approximately 1,641,886 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 2% from the average daily volume of 1,682,758 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.35.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Shares are getting support from improving sentiment around AeroVironment’s defense pipeline, including a recent analyst upgrade, stronger expectations for counter-drone and directed-energy demand, and momentum from new program wins. Quiver Quantitative article
• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is also being helped by a new U.S. Army contract worth about $117.3 million, which reinforces AeroVironment’s position in defense systems and could bolster revenue visibility. Barchart article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive, with several recent “Buy” or “Overweight” ratings and a median price target above the current trading range, suggesting analysts still see meaningful upside if execution holds. Brokerage ratings article
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued fresh reminders about a pending securities class action and a July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline, highlighting allegations tied to AeroVironment’s disclosures and creating legal uncertainty for shareholders. Business Wire article
• Negative Sentiment: The class-action activity may weigh on sentiment near term, since several firms are advertising claims on behalf of investors who bought AVAV shares during the alleged class period. PR Newswire article

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wolfe Research cut shares of AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wedbush started coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Clear Str upgraded AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on AeroVironment from $295.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.68.

AeroVironment Trading Up 5.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.13, a PEG ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a current ratio of 4.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $167.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $214.58.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legacy Bridge LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.0% in 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 period. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in AeroVironment by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $897,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in AeroVironment by 29.7% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 495 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $120,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is 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.