AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Upgraded at UBS Group

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was upgraded by analysts at UBS Group to a “hold” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 target price on AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $367.00.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AeroVironment stock opened at $281.67 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -225.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $284.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $293.52. AeroVironment has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $417.86.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,089 shares of company stock worth $1,285,160. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at $1,675,000. Compound Planning Inc. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 230.2% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 2,506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 1,747 shares during the period. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at about $815,000. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 83,531 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $20,205,000 after buying an additional 13,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its stake in AeroVironment by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 14,187 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,432,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan initiated coverage with an Overweight / Buy stance and a material price target, a high‑profile endorsement that likely triggered buying and momentum flows. J.P. Morgan Initiates Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research and commentary highlight the BlueHalo acquisition and LOCUST laser/system deployments as key growth drivers, projecting multi‑billion revenue runway and high revenue visibility for 2026—supporting above‑market upside scenarios. AeroVironment: Riding The Drone Boom And Laser Tech To New Heights
• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish analyst notes and upgrades (including Seeking Alpha pieces upgrading rating after a recent selloff) reinforce a narrative that the pullback created a buying opportunity tied to future free cash flow and BlueHalo synergies. Upgrade After Selloff
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS initiated coverage with a Neutral rating — this provides additional analyst context but is less catalyst‑positive than the J.P. Morgan start. UBS Initiates Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest filings in recent reports show 0 shares / NaN changes — this is almost certainly a reporting anomaly and not evidence of a real surge in short pressure, so it’s not an actionable market signal. (Treat short‑interest data as unreliable until corrected.)
• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment will present at the Citizens Technology Conference (CFO fireside chat on March 2); investor events can aid transparency but typically move the stock only if new guidance or details are disclosed. Conference Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: Director Stephen Page sold 500 shares (~$254.95 each). It’s a small, single transaction relative to his holdings and firmwide institutional ownership, so it’s a minor negative signal rather than a fundamental red flag. SEC Form 4

About AeroVironment

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.