AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 4.4% – Still a Buy?

Posted by Stanley Muller on Sep 17th, 2026

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report)’s share price was up 4.4% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $167.76 and last traded at $163.38. 1,770,302 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 5% from the average daily volume of 1,690,711 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.45.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

Positive Sentiment: Funded backlog provides revenue visibility: AeroVironment ended fiscal first quarter 2027 with approximately $1.5 billion in funded backlog, up from $1.2 billion at the end of the prior quarter. The backlog consists of firm, funded customer orders and could support management’s growth outlook as orders convert into revenue. AeroVironment Has $1.5 Billion in Funded Backlog
Positive Sentiment: Broader defense platform strengthens the growth narrative: Coverage highlights AeroVironment’s expanding autonomous-systems, counter-drone and directed-energy portfolio, including opportunities across unmanned aerial systems and high-energy lasers. This diversification could increase its addressable market and reduce reliance on any single product line. Is AeroVironment Becoming a Broader Defense Technology Platform?
Positive Sentiment: New agreements support capacity and directed-energy programs: A long-term agreement with Attalon covers delivery of Valaris high-energy laser platforms, while a collaboration with Nominal will digitize manufacturing and testing data. The initiatives may help AeroVironment scale production and improve execution as customer demand grows. Attalon and AeroVironment Execute Long-Term Agreement
Neutral Sentiment: Relative strength within the drone sector: AeroVironment has held up better than more speculative drone companies during the sector’s recent weakness, reinforcing its perception as a defense contractor with established programs rather than a purely speculative drone stock. Speculative Drone Names Extend Slide
Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal: Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares and Chief Accounting Officer Brian Shackley sold 100 shares at $152.27 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The sales were small relative to their remaining holdings and appear scheduled, limiting their significance, but they do not provide a positive insider-buying signal. SEC Insider Sale Filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AVAV shares. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $229.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $238.89.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on AVAV

AeroVironment Trading Up 4.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -69.82, a P/E/G ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $156.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.01.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. The business 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total transaction of $38,067.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,484.31. This represents a 0.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $94,655,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $574,566,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 289.9% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 222,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $53,714,000 after buying an additional 165,106 shares during the last quarter. MYDA Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,628,000. Finally, Korea Investment CORP acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $54,901,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AeroVironment

(Get Free Report)

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.