AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price target increased by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $320.00 to $365.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 1.31% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on AVAV. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $335.00 price target on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, August 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $305.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $300.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $333.57.

AeroVironment Stock Up 4.1%

AVAV opened at $360.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.96. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $363.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $262.30 and its 200 day moving average is $208.69. The stock has a market cap of $17.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -562.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 0.99.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.02). AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 4.14% and a positive return on equity of 4.67%. The firm had revenue of $454.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.16 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 140.0% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total transaction of $4,550,765.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 41.0% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $91,000,000 after purchasing an additional 221,948 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 35.4% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 4,669 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 94.8% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 4,415 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $526,000 after purchasing an additional 2,148 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,142,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 139,835 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $16,667,000 after purchasing an additional 3,183 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses in the United States and internationally. It operates through Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), Tactical Missile System (TMS), Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS), and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Systems (HAPS) segments.