Aerovironment Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Aerovironment Inc (AVAV) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Aerovironment Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 1,976M vs 301,195M combined for tracked competitors (0.7% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+29.9% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs decelerating (-4.7%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Aerovironment Inc generated 133.0% revenue growth year over year in Q4 2026, vs 6.3% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its -3.8% net margin compares with 8.6% for the peer group.
- Scale: Aerovironment Inc ranks #18 of 56 companies by market capitalization in the Aerospace & Defense industry, holding 0.9% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Aerovironment Inc accounted for 0.9% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 0.4% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.50M compares with $0.58M for the peer group (0.8x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
AVAV Sales vs. its Competitors, Q4 2026
Aerovironment Inc reported revenue growth of 133.03 % year on year in Q4 2026, above its competitors' combined revenue growth of 6.29 %.
With a net margin of -3.76 %, Aerovironment Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (8.55 %).
Aerovironment Inc generated 0.89 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 0.41 % a year earlier.
Aerovironment Inc vs. its Competitors, Q4 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Aerovironment Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (8) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (9) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Aerovironment Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Aerospace & Defense industry grew revenue 13.0% year over year, combined, vs 133.0% for Aerovironment Inc. Aerovironment Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.25% to 0.51%, a gain of 0.26 percentage points.
Aerovironment Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (18) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (11) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (9) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 50.00 % (4 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 25.00 % (2 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
AVAV Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
AVAV Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
AVAV Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
AVAV Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richardson Electronics Ltd | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Elbit Systems Ltd | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Science applications International corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Rtx Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Aerovironment Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Aerovironment Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Aerovironment Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | 7,227.12 | 1,975.63 |
| Rtx Corporation | 256,155.90 | 93,500.00 |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | 119,732.91 | 77,014.00 |
| General Dynamics Corporation | 91,602.95 | 53,808.00 |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | 72,025.92 | 42,892.00 |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | 33,042.94 | 7,938.63 |
| SUBTOTAL | 636,156.80 | 311,283.28 |
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Sources: Aerovironment Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Aerovironment Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Aerovironment Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Draganfly Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Griffon Aerospace, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Quantum-Systems, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Textron, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Edge Autonomy | Named by the company | 85% |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sierra Nevada Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Airbus SE | Named by the company | 85% |
| Israeli Aircraft Industries | Named by the company | 85% |
| Redwire Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| The Boeing Company | Named by the company | 85% |
| Elbit Systems Ltd. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Northrop Grumman | Named by the company | 85% |
| Teledyne Technologies, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Anduril Industries, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| L3Harris Technologies, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Shield AI, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Red Cat Holdings Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Aerovironment Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Aerovironment Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | Autonomous Systems Segment 68.70 % |
| Rtx Corporation | Pratt and Whitney 35.98 % |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | Aeronautics 40.43 % |
| General Dynamics Corporation | Marine Systems 32.36 % |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | Aeronautics Systems 32.36 % |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | Land Systems 29.21 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Aerovironment Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | 7,227 | 495,022 | -88,297 |
| Rtx Corporation | 256,156 | 519,444 | 45,139 |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | 119,733 | 626,130 | 51,114 |
| General Dynamics Corporation | 91,603 | 459,897 | 37,103 |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | 72,026 | 5,718,933 | 599,467 |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | 33,043 | 601,411 | 40,577 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 628,930 | 584,295 | 48,957 |
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Aerovironment Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | Geographic Distribution Domestic 71.85 % |
| Rtx Corporation | UNITED STATES 52.99 % |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | United States 70.72 % |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | United States 85.81 % |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | Israel 32.20 % |
| Textron Inc | United States 70.21 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Aerovironment Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 49 companies in Aerovironment Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Aerovironment Inc ranks #18 of 49 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.92 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 915, indicating a unconcentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Boeing Company | 150,084 | 18.81 % |
| 2 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | 120,403 | 15.09 % |
| 3 | Northrop Grumman Corp | 72,957 | 9.15 % |
| 4 | Transdigm Group Incorporated | 63,140 | 7.91 % |
| 5 | Garmin Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Rocket Lab Corp | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | L3harris Technologies Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Axon Enterprise Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Elbit Systems Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Teledyne Technologies Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 18 | Aerovironment Inc | 7,313 | 0.92 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Aerovironment Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Aerovironment Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Textron Inc | 13,346 | -7.40 % |
| 14 | Nextpower Inc | 12,420 | 8.90 % |
| 15 | Leonardo Drs Inc | 9,896 | -13.11 % |
| 16 | Kratos Defense and Security Solutions inc | 8,518 | -46.78 % |
| 17 | Mobilicom Limited | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 18 | Aerovironment Inc | 7,313 | -50.63 % |
| 19 | Loar Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 20 | Joby Aviation Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 21 | Beta Technologies Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 22 | Karman Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 23 | Aar Corp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Aerovironment Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Aerovironment Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Aerospace & Defense industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (56 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 25.34 % | 30.24 % (avg) | -4.9 pp |
| Operating Margin | -15.74 % | industry median | -20.1 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 17.68 % | 4.83 % (avg) | +12.8 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 4.36 % | 7.10 % (avg) | -2.7 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Aerovironment Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Aerospace & Defense industry average (56 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | - | 36.0x | - |
| EV / EBITDA | 37.6x | 21.5x | +16.1x |
| P/B | 3.7x | 5.2x | -1.6x |
| Return on Equity | -9.97 % | industry aggregate | -33.60 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | -4.01 % | 2.69 % (avg) | -6.70 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Aerovironment Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 36.85 % | 2.92 % | 1.31 % | 29.25 % | 2.46 % | 44.59 % | 5.34 % | 116.91 % |
| Operating Margin | 11.37 % | 18.82 % | 9.68 % | 0.25 % | 0.01 % | -14.17 % | 4.44 % | -22.00 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 4.51 % | 6.79 % | 3.20 % | 0.08 % | 0.00 % | -6.75 % | 1.92 % | -6.08 % |
| P/E | 37.5x | 32.0x | 52.7x | - | - | - | 165.9x | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Aerovironment Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Aerovironment Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Aerovironment Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Aerovironment Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Aerovironment Inc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Aerovironment Inc falls in the Question Mark quadrant: relative market share of 0.05x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 15.0% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Aerovironment Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | High | Industry HHI of 915 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 4.36 % vs industry average 7.10 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Aerovironment Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Aerovironment Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Aerovironment Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Aerovironment Inc falls in the Medium attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Aerovironment Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+29.9% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Weaknesses
- Operating margin 20.1 points below the industry median.
- Return on equity 33.6 points below the industry aggregate.
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.05x).
Opportunities
- Industry revenue growing at a healthy 15.0% median pace.
Threats
- Tracked peer group's revenue run-rate is broadly decelerating (-4.7% annualized).
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Aerovironment Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | 1.21 | 4.78 | 0.16 |
| Rtx Corporation | 0.12 | 1.03 | 0.70 |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | 0.14 | 1.14 | 2.92 |
| General Dynamics Corporation | 0.14 | 1.40 | 0.33 |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | 0.20 | 1.13 | 0.89 |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | 0.11 | 1.29 | 0.02 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Aerovironment Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | Q1 2026 | +133.0 % | - |
| Rtx Corporation | Q2 2026 | +14.5 % | +30.4 % |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | Q2 2026 | +10.5 % | +436.8 % |
| General Dynamics Corporation | Q1 2026 | +10.3 % | +13.2 % |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | Q2 2026 | +5.1 % | -6.8 % |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | Q4 2025 | +16.3 % | +66.4 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +11.5 % | +40.2 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Aerovironment Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | Q1 2026 | +150.9 % | - |
| Rtx Corporation | Q2 2026 | +50.7 % | +11.5 % |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | Q2 2026 | +1.1 % | -9.4 % |
| General Dynamics Corporation | Q1 2026 | +13.1 % | +43.0 % |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | Q2 2026 | +34.2 % | +30.7 % |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | Q4 2025 | +15.8 % | +4.9 % |
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Aerovironment Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | - | - | - |
| Rtx Corporation | 4.75% | 6.63% | 12.06% |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | 10.40% | 14.74% | 86.24% |
| General Dynamics Corporation | 7.52% | 13.52% | 17.41% |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | 8.93% | 11.14% | 26.58% |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | 4.23% | 8.62% | 12.97% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Aerovironment Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Aerovironment Inc | - | 3.66 |
| Rtx Corporation | 32.98 | 2.74 |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | 19.13 | 1.55 |
| General Dynamics Corporation | 20.99 | 1.70 |
| Northrop Grumman Corp | 16.10 | 1.68 |
| Elbit Systems Ltd | 61.83 | 4.16 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 24.89 | 2.04 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.