KeyCorp Cuts AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target to $295.00

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its target price trimmed by KeyCorp from $330.00 to $295.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on AVAV. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $207.07 on Wednesday. AeroVironment has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $281.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $291.88.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The business had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 60.0% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 100.0% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Underlying demand/backlog: Q3 revenue rose ~143% YoY and the company still reports a multi‑hundred‑million to billion‑level backlog that supports longer‑term revenue — a constructive backdrop if execution and contract timing normalize. Q3 revenue and backlog discussion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: despite trimming targets, many firms (BTIG, Jefferies, Canaccord and others) kept Buy/Outperform ratings, signalling expectations of mid/long‑term upside if AeroVironment regains program visibility and scales production. Analyst note summary (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings and guidance: Q3 results beat on some metrics (strong YoY revenue growth) but missed consensus on revenue and EPS; management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $2.75–$3.10, below street expectations — creates uncertainty but also sets clearer, more conservative targets. Q3 miss and guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Price‑target downgrades but ratings mixed: several shops cut targets (KeyBanc, Canaccord, BTIG, Jefferies) while mostly keeping Buy/Outperform stances — implies recalibrated expectations rather than broad conviction shift. KeyCorp target cut Canaccord note
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting in feeds shows anomalous/zero values (likely data error); no clear short squeeze signal from those items. Short interest entries (data anomaly)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares plunged after the Q3 miss and the outlook cut as investors punished reduced near‑term visibility and growth assumptions. Shares fall on Q3 miss
• Negative Sentiment: Contract risk: reports of SCAR/Space Force contract termination or timing disruptions remove material unfunded backlog (reports cite ~$1.4–1.7B), increasing near‑term revenue uncertainty and pressuring sentiment. SCAR contract and backlog risk
• Negative Sentiment: Financing/leverage risk: disclosure of a $727M notes issuance tightens covenants and raises leverage/liquidity risk — an added structural concern for investors already focused on visibility. Notes issuance risk
• Negative Sentiment: Headline/legal/insider risk: Pomerantz launched an investor probe and the CFO disclosed small share sales — both increase short‑term headline risk and may amplify volatility. Pomerantz investigation CFO Form 4

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.