AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 2.9% – Time to Buy?

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAVGet Free Report)’s share price traded up 2.9% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $152.20 and last traded at $148.78. Approximately 1,979,409 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 24% from the average daily volume of 1,600,905 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. Wolfe Research cut AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citizens Jmp lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.68.

Read Our Latest Research Report on AeroVironment

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of -40.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 1.41. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $160.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.64.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAVGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total transaction of $47,995.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 48,503 shares in the company, valued at $9,311,605.94. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 705 shares of company stock valued at $132,979 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. F m Investments LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,775,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,655,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $574,566,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 289.9% during the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,714,000 after acquiring an additional 165,106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MYDA Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,628,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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