AeroVironment’s (AVAV) Buy Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research

BTIG Research reiterated their buy rating on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $205.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock.

AVAV has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $247.79.

AeroVironment Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $146.71 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $157.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $178.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -62.70, a PEG ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment has a 1-year low of $135.20 and a 1-year high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.04% and a negative net margin of 5.77%.The firm had revenue of $480.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.95 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.98, for a total transaction of $47,995.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 48,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,311,605.94. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 705 shares of company stock valued at $132,979. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record results and backlog: Fiscal Q1 FY2027 revenue increased 5.7% year over year to a record $480.5 million, while adjusted earnings of $0.59 per share exceeded consensus estimates. Funded backlog rose 37% to approximately $1.5 billion, and the 1.4 book-to-bill ratio points to solid future demand. AeroVironment’s Record Backlog and Earnings Beat Fuel Recovery Case
• Positive Sentiment: LOCUST international expansion: AeroVironment received its first international purchase order for its LOCUST directed-energy counter-drone system, valued at more than $50 million. Management said laser weapons could become a flagship franchise, with low operating costs potentially supporting broader adoption. AeroVironment Secures First International Order for LOCUST
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: JPMorgan raised its target to $210 and Citizens JMP maintained an Outperform rating with a $230 target after the earnings report, reflecting optimism about autonomous systems demand and a second-half production ramp.
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance was maintained but not raised: AeroVironment reaffirmed fiscal 2027 earnings guidance of $3.02–$3.34 per share. However, full-year revenue guidance of approximately $2.18 billion at the midpoint was slightly below analyst expectations, tempering the earnings beat.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution concerns: Analysts note that growth is moderating, profitability remains pressured, and the stock still carries a premium valuation despite its substantial decline from its 12-month high. Investors are also watching the company’s ability to scale LOCUST and other programs efficiently.
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target cut weighs on sentiment: Bank of America retained a Buy rating but lowered its target from $225 to $185, signaling reduced near-term upside expectations and contributing to the stock’s decline.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and produces unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-unmanned aircraft systems and related robotic technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and tactical communications applications.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Wasp small unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.