AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Short Interest Update

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,141,453 shares, a growth of 19.9% from the December 15th total of 2,620,349 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 919,188 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 6.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 6.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 919,188 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. BNP Paribas upgraded AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.41.

AeroVironment Stock Down 5.5%

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV traded down $21.64 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $371.22. The company had a trading volume of 726,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,794,297. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. AeroVironment has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $286.11 and its 200-day moving average is $291.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.53 billion, a PE ratio of -300.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $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. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at about $314,890,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $991,089,000 after acquiring an additional 433,830 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $99,416,000 after acquiring an additional 314,448 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,690,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 75.6% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $173,540,000 after purchasing an additional 262,239 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by 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.