AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $246.4737.

AVAV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on AeroVironment from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total transaction of $47,995.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,311,605.94. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $574,566,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $213,956,000 after purchasing an additional 71,903 shares during the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 722,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $174,681,000 after purchasing an additional 235,685 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $94,655,000. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its position in AeroVironment by 18.8% during the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 490,426 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $89,772,000 after purchasing an additional 77,619 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $156.45 on Thursday. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $135.20 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $176.01. The company has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -66.86, a PEG ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.41.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Funded backlog increased to approximately $1.5 billion at the end of fiscal Q1 2027, up from $1.2 billion at April 30. The backlog represents firm, funded customer orders and provides meaningful revenue visibility, although investors are watching how quickly AeroVironment converts it into sales. AeroVironment Has $1.5 Billion in Funded Backlog
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment secured a reported $100 million U.S. Air Force contract, adding to momentum from a previously highlighted $465 million Army high-energy laser award and reinforcing demand for its defense and counter-drone systems. A $100 Million Reason to Buy AVAV Stock
• Positive Sentiment: The company signed a long-term agreement with Attalon to incorporate Valaris high-energy laser platforms into its LOCUST and broader directed-energy offerings. The deal could support production capacity as military demand for deployable laser systems grows. Attalon and AeroVironment Execute Long-Term Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated its Buy rating and $326 price target, citing strong growth visibility and upcoming program catalysts. ARK Invest also purchased additional AVAV shares, potentially improving sentiment. AeroVironment Buy Rating Reiterated
• Neutral Sentiment: A partnership with Nominal will digitize manufacturing and test data, which may improve production scalability and execution but does not immediately add revenue. AeroVironment Teams Up to Digitize Production
• Negative Sentiment: Weakness in speculative drone names, including Red Cat and Unusual Machines, is creating sector-wide selling pressure. AVAV has barely moved compared with those peers, reflecting its stronger backlog and defense-program exposure, but the risk-off rotation can still limit near-term gains. Speculative Drone Names Extend Slide

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and produces unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-unmanned aircraft systems and related robotic technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and tactical communications applications.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Wasp small unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.