Citizens Jmp Reaffirms Market Outperform Rating for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)‘s stock had its “market outperform” rating reissued by equities research analysts at Citizens Jmp in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $400.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective points to a potential upside of 67.12% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.7%

NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $4.06 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $239.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 346,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,668,192. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $286.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $294.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. The company has a market capitalization of $11.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -190.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.23. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released 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). The company had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The company’s revenue was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,589 shares of company stock worth $1,157,685. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $314,890,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 14.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $991,089,000 after buying an additional 433,830 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,655,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after buying an additional 314,448 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 75.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $173,540,000 after acquiring an additional 262,239 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Army reportedly used AVAV’s LOCUST laser counter‑drone system near El Paso (caused a seven‑hour airspace shutdown). This is direct operational validation and raises the company’s profile with defense customers — could accelerate follow‑on orders or fielding opportunities. Reuters: LOCUST deployed
• Positive Sentiment: AVAV hired Stephen Voline as Senior Director, Washington Operations to deepen engagement with Congress, the DoD and acquisition stakeholders — a move that supports pursuit of higher‑value, longer‑duration defense contracts. Business Wire: Washington hire
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage frames AVAV as shifting toward larger defense programs (new DC hire + reported USAF deal), which, if sustained, could provide steadier revenue and margin expansion over time. Yahoo Finance: Repositioning story
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest filings show anomalous zero shares/0.0 days‑to‑cover figures for early February — appears to be a reporting/data error and not actionable evidence of a shift in short‑seller positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Kevin McDonnell sold 879 shares at ~$267.60 (≈5% reduction in his stake). Insider sales can pressure sentiment even when amounts are modest vs. total holdings; the SEC Form 4 is filed. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market pieces (Zacks) highlight recent share weakness and three‑month underperformance vs. peers despite contract wins and solid liquidity — amplifies short‑term selling pressure and investor caution. Zacks: AVAV falls Zacks: Underperforms

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.