AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Down 2.6% Following Analyst Downgrade

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 10th, 2026

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report)’s stock price fell 2.6% during trading on Friday after Citizens Jmp lowered their price target on the stock from $350.00 to $230.00. Citizens Jmp currently has a market outperform rating on the stock. AeroVironment traded as low as $143.01 and last traded at $144.58. Approximately 1,333,867 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 1,695,553 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.40.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush started coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial raised AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AeroVironment

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock valued at $133,502 over the last ninety days. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed a Buy rating, and BTIG also reiterated Buy, signaling that some analysts still see meaningful upside despite the selloff. Analyst rating updates
Positive Sentiment: The company said it remains positioned for long-term growth, highlighting its defense technology strategy and FY2030 targets at Investor Day. Investor Day release
Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms issued deadline reminders for a July 27 lead-plaintiff date in a securities class action tied to the June 2025–March 2026 period. These notices increase legal noise but do not by themselves prove financial damage. Securities lawsuit deadline
Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary noted strong Q4 revenue, healthy backlog, and a major Army contract, but also said the stock fell sharply after investors and analysts questioned whether aggressive 2030 targets are realistic. MarketBeat article
Negative Sentiment: RBC downgraded AVAV to Sector Perform and cut its price target to $180, citing concerns about ambitious growth assumptions. RBC downgrade
Negative Sentiment: Citizens JMP and Canaccord also lowered price targets, reinforcing the market’s view that near-term upside may be limited even though both firms kept constructive ratings. Price target cuts

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 230.3% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 109 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of -39.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.39. The business’s fifty day moving average is $172.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.39. The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The business had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current year.

About AeroVironment

(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.

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