Barclays Initiates Coverage on AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Equities research analysts at Barclays initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm set an “equal weight” rating and a $237.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 72.24% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on AVAV. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AeroVironment from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $229.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $228.80.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV opened at $137.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.26 and a quick ratio of 3.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $157.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.12. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $134.25 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The stock has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -58.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.36.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. The firm 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total value of $38,067.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,484.31. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671 over the last ninety days. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 52.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 82.1% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 652 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 16,594 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 595,134 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $84,640,000 after purchasing an additional 99,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 96.0% during the 3rd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 14,449 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,055,000 after buying an additional 7,076 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment received a $464.8 million U.S. Army production contract for its Enduring High Energy Laser program. The award expands AVAV beyond unmanned aircraft and could provide a meaningful new source of defense revenue. AeroVironment Lands $464.8 Million Directed Energy Contract
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s LOCUST laser weapon system secured its first international order, valued at more than $50 million, including initial delivery and support. International adoption could broaden AVAV’s growth beyond U.S. government contracts. Can LOCUST Lasers Power the Next Leg of AeroVironment Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights record revenue and backlog, growing demand for autonomous systems, and additional defense contracts. These factors support the longer-term growth case, although investors still want evidence that bookings can translate into sustained earnings and cash flow. Can AeroVironment Scale Autonomous Systems to Drive Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment’s VideoRay subsidiary was selected for a U.S. Navy mine-countermeasure prototype program, adding another potential avenue for future defense work. AeroVironment VideoRay Selected for U.S. Navy Program

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.