New York, Feb 17, 2026, 05:44 EST — Before the bell
- AeroVironment shares climbed 2.6% ahead of the bell, bouncing back a bit after last week’s drop.
- JPMorgan started coverage, giving the stock an “Overweight” rating and putting its price target at $320.
- U.S. stocks are back in action following the Presidents’ Day market holiday, with new analyst calls grabbing attention at the open.
AeroVironment climbed before the bell Tuesday, up $6.23, or 2.55%, to $250.10 after a fresh bullish note from JPMorgan landed. Investors took notice ahead of the U.S. open. 1
Timing’s a factor here. U.S. stocks are back after the Presidents’ Day holiday, with individual names swinging harder in the light volumes that mark early post-break trading as desks recalibrate for the week. 2
Seth Seifman at JPMorgan kicked off coverage on the defense tech company, assigning an Overweight rating and putting the price target at $320, per a report out early Tuesday. The bank pointed to AeroVironment’s exposure in drones, counter-drone tech, and space as drivers for “mid-teens growth,” but also highlighted risks around competition and valuation. 3
Wall Street uses “overweight” to signal a belief that a stock will outpace its sector or a benchmark eventually. It doesn’t say anything about where shares might head today.
AeroVironment makes unmanned aircraft and gear for government and military buyers. For defense investors, small drones and anti-drone tech remain a consistent draw—even if the company’s quarterly numbers sometimes fluctuate with the flow of contracts.
Lumpiness comes with the territory. AeroVironment’s end markets attract fresh players, squeezing pricing power, and the company remains on the hook to turn those orders into actual cash—just by shipping on time, nothing fancy.
Next up: AeroVironment. The company is slated to unveil its results in early March—most calendars circle March 3 as the date. 4
