AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 6.1% – Here’s Why

by · The Markets Daily

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report) rose 6.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $285.77 and last traded at $281.67. Approximately 1,289,457 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 1,627,982 shares. The stock had previously closed at $265.46.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Bull case: a Seeking Alpha deep dive highlights the BlueHalo acquisition, the firm’s LOCUST directed‑energy progress, a $1.1B funded / $3B unfunded backlog and ~93% 2026 revenue visibility — analysts there model a fair value near $290, supporting upside vs. recent prices. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: Momentum note: The Motley Fool reports AVAV “climbed 15%” recently, citing an unexpected catalyst and increased Wall Street attention — this type of momentum can attract short‑term buyers. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: New coverage: UBS initiated coverage with a “neutral” rating and a $259 price target (slightly below recent levels) — this provides more liquidity in analyst views but is unlikely to spark a major re‑rating on its own. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: AV’s CFO will appear at the Citizens Technology Conference (fireside chat March 2, to be webcast) — useful for incremental transparency but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: a Yahoo piece questions whether the recent ~33% pullback already prices in risk and examines DCF upside potential — highlights disagreement among investors on fair value, which can sustain volatility. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Critical take: a Seeking Alpha column titled “Shockingly Uninteresting” raises skeptical points on growth durability and excitement, which can reinforce selling pressure among more value‑oriented investors. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Noisy short‑interest reports: multiple feeds flagged a “large increase” in February short interest, but the published figures appear inconsistent/erroneous (zeros/NaN). Even so, headlines about rising shorts can trigger fear/stop‑loss selling and add to intraday downside.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp upped their price objective on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $259.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $367.00.

Get Our Latest Analysis on AVAV

AeroVironment Stock Down 6.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a PE ratio of -211.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $285.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $293.49.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,339 shares of company stock valued at $1,353,910 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter valued at about $225,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $215,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $427,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $228,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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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