Will Higher Marketing Expenses Hurt AeroVironment Q3 Earnings?

AeroVironment, Inc. AVAV is slated to report third-quarter fiscal 2025 results on March 4, 2025, after market close. Stay up-to-date with all quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.The company boasts a four-quarter average earnings surprise of 54.69%. Solid revenue growth expected from the majority of its segments must have bolstered its fiscal third-quarter earnings amid impacts of higher expenses.AeroVironment, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise AeroVironment, Inc. price-eps-surprise | AeroVironment, Inc. QuoteAVAV’s LMS Unit to Post Solid SalesIncreased global demand for AVAV’s loitering munitions systems, backed by the current global conflicts as well as need for resupply of these systems from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) must have bolstered the top line of the Loitering Munitions Systems (“LMS”) segment. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segment’s quarterly revenues is pegged at $92.3 million, indicating a solid 60% increase from the top line reported a year ago.AVAV’s MacCready Works Unit Also Holds PotentialSolid service revenues, due to an increase in customer-funded research and development and engineering services efforts, are likely to have boosted revenue growth for its MacCready Works (“MW”) business segment.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segment’s fiscal third-quarter revenues is pegged at $21.1 million, indicating 35% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.AVAV’s UxS Unit Likely to Post Dismal FiguresDeclining product shipments of AVAV’s family of small unmanned aerial systems as well as UGV product systems due to lower international sales to Ukraine might have had an adverse impact on the overall top-line performance of the company’s Uncrewed Systems (UxS) business unit. Fiscal Q3 ExpectationsWith two of AeroVironment’s three business segments expected to report solid top-line improvement, the overall revenue growth prospects of AVAV remain bright. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal third-quarter revenues is pegged at $189.3 million, which suggests a 1.4% rise from the year-ago quarter’s level.Such a solid top-line projection is likely to have aided AVAV’s quarterly bottom line. However, an increase in sales and marketing expense, caused by an increase in bid and proposal activity along with employee-related costs due to an increase in average headcount, might have put a downward pressure on its operating margin, thereby adversely impacting its overall earnings. An increase in deal and integration costs is likely to have hurt AVAV’s quarterly bottom-line figures. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 58 cents per share, which indicates a decline of 7.9% from the prior-year reported figure.What the Zacks Model Unveils for AVAVOur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for AeroVironment this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here, as you will see below.Earnings ESP: AVAV has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: Currently, AeroVironment sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Recent Defense ReleasesTeledyne Technologies Inc. TDY reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of $5.52 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.23 by 5.5%. Total sales were $1.50 billion, which beat the consensus estimate of $1.45 billion by 3.7%.Textron Inc. TXT reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of $1.34 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.25 by 7.2%. The company reported total revenues of $3.61 billion, which missed the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion by 3.5%.Hexcel Corporation HXL reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of 52 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 51 cents by 2%. The company’s net sales totaled $473.8 million, which beat the consensus estimate of $471 million by 0.6%. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025Hurry – you can still get in early on our 10 top tickers for 2025. Handpicked by Zacks Director of Research Sheraz Mian, this portfolio has been stunningly and consistently successful. From inception in 2012 through November, 2024, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,112.6%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +475.6%. Sheraz has combed through 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 to buy and hold in 2025. You can still be among the first to see these just-released stocks with enormous potential. See New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Textron Inc. (TXT): Free Stock Analysis Report AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV): Free Stock Analysis Report Hexcel Corporation (HXL): Free Stock Analysis Report Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (TDY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks