Aerovironment Inc Shares Go Airborne After Earnings Report

 | Dec 07, 2017 12:14AM ET

AeroVironment Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV)

On Tuesday December 5th, 2017, AeroVironment reported their fiscal second quarterly earnings after the market closes at 4 p.m. immediately afterward, shares skyrocketed higher.

It seems as though many traders and investors were caught flat-footed when the company announced stellar earnings compared to a loss in the year-ago quarter.

The company is a major manufacturer of unmanned aircraft for commonly known as drones. Shares closed the regular trading session at $43.25 which was down -$0.75 on the day. However, in the after market, shares closed at $53.00, up +$9.75 or 22.5%.

h3 The Numbers/h3

Earnings came in at $0.29 per common share on a diluted basis. This compares with losing -$0.18 in the same period a year ago. Revenue came in at +$73.8 million which was an increase of nearly +47% from the quarter a year ago.

h3 Company Comments/h3

Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment Chief Executive Officer had this to say to investors:

“Our outstanding team delivered another solid quarter of financial and operational results driven by robust, global customer demand across our business and continued effective execution. During the quarter we increased revenue by 47 percent, year over year, and substantially improved earnings per diluted share to $0.29. Our innovative solutions continue to lead their markets, as orders for products and customer-funded research and development programs boosted our funded backlog to $127 million, a 49 percent increase over last quarter, significantly increasing our revenue visibility for the current fiscal year.”

“Additionally, in August the United States Army released its annual Superior Supplier Incentive Program ranking, which identifies its top performing industry partners for 2017. AeroVironment earned the Army’s top tier in this year’s ranking, based on superior performance in our small UAS and Tactical Missile Systems businesses. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team. Our strong second quarter results reflect continued momentum in fiscal 2018 as we execute our plan effectively and focus on creating value for our stockholders, employees and customers.”

h3 The Chart/h3