AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Picked Up by Analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn

Stock analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a research note issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set a “hold” rating and a $165.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn’s target price points to a potential upside of 18.82% from the company’s current price.

AVAV has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $225.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.37.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $138.86 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -59.34, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $157.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.54. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $134.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $480.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total value of $38,067.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at $7,347,484.31. This represents a 0.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 805 shares of company stock valued at $142,671. 0.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other 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: AeroVironment continues to benefit from robust military demand for its Switchblade systems. The company reported approximately $1.5 billion in funded backlog and another $1.4 billion in unfunded backlog at the end of fiscal 2027’s first quarter, supporting longer-term revenue visibility. Should Investors Buy the Dip in AeroVironment or Wait for Profitability?
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG maintained a Buy rating and a $205 price target, citing strength in directed-energy and counter-drone systems. The target implies substantial potential upside if execution improves. AeroVironment Maintained at Buy with $205 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage with a Hold rating and a $165 price target, which is above the referenced share price and indicates analysts see some recovery potential, though not enough to recommend aggressive buying. AeroVironment Stock Bumped Up to Hold by Rothschild & Co Redburn

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and supplies autonomous systems, uncrewed aircraft, loitering munitions and counter-uncrewed-aircraft systems. Its portfolio includes small unmanned aircraft systems such as Raven, Puma and Wasp, as well as larger platforms including JUMP 20 and Quantix Recon.

The company is also known for its Switchblade family of loitering munitions, which combine surveillance, target identification and precision strike capabilities. AeroVironment provides related ground control systems, sensors, software, communications equipment, training and support services for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Founded in 1971 by aerospace engineer Paul B.