AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

26 Mar 2026, 09:40 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $318.7778.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of AeroVironment from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. BTIG Research cut their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AVAV

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded AeroVironment to Market Perform; the bump in analyst sentiment helped support buying interest. Raymond James upgrade article
Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights expansion and upgrades across AVAV’s tactical UAS portfolio, arguing this positions the company to capture rising defense demand and drive long-term revenue growth. Can AeroVironment’s Tactical UAS Portfolio Drive Revenue Growth?
Positive Sentiment: AVAV formally launched LOCUST® X3, a third‑generation high‑energy laser system (20–35+ kW, modular/AI-enabled) aimed at counter‑drone defense—an important product for defense customers and longer‑term backlog potential. LOCUST X3 press release
Neutral Sentiment: Broader market and geopolitics have boosted defense names in recent sessions (a pause in military action news helped the group); this macro support likely aided AVAV’s move but is not company‑specific. Defense sector lift article
Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short‑interest reports showed zero or NaN changes (data appears unreliable/glitched); no actionable short‑interest signal emerged from the recent filings. (Data source aggregated)
Negative Sentiment: Despite the LOCUST X3 announcement, some headlines noted an immediate share pullback and intraday slip (~low-single-digit percent moves), suggesting investors wanted clearer near‑term contracts/backlog or were digesting the company’s recent earnings miss. Stock reaction to LOCUST X3

AeroVironment Stock Up 1.4%

AeroVironment stock opened at $199.02 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.94 billion, a PE ratio of -45.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $259.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $290.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,924 shares of company stock worth $1,486,038. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 60.0% in 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 during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its position in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.