AEVEX Corp. (AVEX) Stock Price & How to Invest

Last updated July 2026

Short answer

AVEX is AEVEX Corp., a Solana Beach, California defense contractor that builds one-way attack drones (the Phoenix Ghost family) and sells AI-enabled intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services to the US government. It listed on the NYSE on April 17, 2026, and at roughly $22 a share it trades near ~4x trailing sales and ~67x earnings, so the price already assumes the drone-procurement build-out continues.

AVEX stock price

As of 2026-08-07, AEVEX Corp. (AVEX) last closed at $22.17, up 27.8% over the past month. Over its trading history so far it has traded between $13.32 and $40.48.

AVEX last close
$22.17
1 day
+3.16%
1 month
+27.78%
1 year
n/a
Range since listing
$13.32 to $40.48
Last close
2026-08-07

Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or AEVEX Corp.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.

What does AEVEX Corp. (AVEX) do?

AEVEX Corp. was founded in 2017 and runs two segments. Tactical Systems designs and builds attritable unmanned systems: the Phoenix Ghost loitering munition family (including the Disruptor and Dominator variants first revealed publicly when the Pentagon sent 121 units to Ukraine in April 2022), plus the Mako unmanned surface vessel shown at the Special Operations Forces trade show in May 2026, which the company rates at up to 50 knots. Global Solutions is the services half: airborne ISR, processing and exploitation of collected imagery, and in-theater manufacturing and sustainment close to the units using the hardware. Roughly ~78% of revenue comes from government customers, the company employs about ~650 people, and it says it has more than ~10,200 systems committed through the end of 2026.

The investment picture is a fast-growing government supplier priced as a growth stock. Trailing twelve-month revenue is about ~$596 million on net income of roughly ~$29.6 million (~$0.33 per share), and management has guided fiscal 2026 revenue to roughly ~$600 million to ~$620 million. Funded backlog was ~$356.6 million at March 31, 2026, about ~93% of which the company expected to convert to revenue over the remainder of the year, against an identified pipeline it puts at ~$8.2 billion. The offsets are structural rather than operational: Madison Dearborn Partners retains roughly ~79% of the voting power through a dual-class structure, the float is small relative to the ~$2.5 billion market capitalization, and the stock has already traded between about ~$13.07 and ~$42.34 in its first months as a public company. Second quarter results are scheduled for August 12, 2026, the first full reporting period since the IPO.

What's driving AEVEX Corp. (AVEX)?

1. One-way attack drone procurement moving from experiment to program of record

AEVEX booked roughly ~$88.1 million of production orders for long-range precision strike systems announced in late July 2026, on top of a ~$50 million US Air Force award for advanced unmanned mission capabilities on June 30, 2026 and a ~$17.5 million follow-on in early July. These are repeat production buys rather than prototype contracts, which is what separates a supplier from a demonstrator.

2. Attritable economics fit the way the US now plans to fight

Loitering munitions are consumed on use, so demand scales with operations rather than with fleet replacement cycles. That gives AEVEX a recurring-consumption revenue shape more like ammunition than like airframes, and it is the reason the company can point to an identified opportunity set of roughly ~$8.2 billion against only ~$356.6 million of funded backlog.

3. The services segment converts hardware into an installed base

Global Solutions supplies the ISR collection, exploitation and in-theater manufacturing that sits around the hardware, which lengthens customer relationships and raises switching costs. It also smooths revenue, because services bill against task orders while Tactical Systems revenue arrives in production lots that can land unevenly across quarters.

4. Margin leverage on a scaling manufacturing base

Total revenue in the first quarter of 2026 was ~$216.7 million against ~$53.3 million a year earlier, a comparison that reflects the assembled scale of the group rather than organic growth alone. The open question the August 12, 2026 report will start to answer is how much of that volume drops through to operating margin as production rates rise.

What are the risks to AEVEX Corp. (AVEX)?

Customer concentration is the dominant exposure: roughly ~78% of revenue comes from government buyers, so a continuing resolution, a program cancellation or a reprioritization inside the unmanned systems budget can move a full year of results. The dual-class structure leaves Madison Dearborn Partners with about ~79% of the voting power, which means public holders have essentially no say on capital allocation, board composition or a future secondary sale that could pressure the share price. Valuation is demanding at roughly ~67x trailing earnings and about ~4x trailing revenue, a level that assumes multi-year procurement growth rather than the ~$600 million to ~$620 million guided for 2026. Order lumpiness is real, since a single production lot can swing a quarter and funded backlog of ~$356.6 million covers well under a year of revenue. And as a 2026 IPO with a limited public float, the stock has already ranged from about ~$13.07 to ~$42.34, so drawdowns unrelated to fundamentals should be expected.

What is the AEVEX Corp. (AVEX) forecast?

8 analysts publish price targets on AVEX, averaging $35.38 against a $22.17 price as of August 2026, or +59.6%. The published targets run from $31.00 to $45.00, a moderate spread, and the ratings split 9 buy, 0 hold, 0 sell. Over the last six months there has been 1 raise and 0 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.

Read the full AVEX forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.

Is AVEX a buy or a sell?

We give no verdict on AEVEX Corp.. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.

The case for buying. One-way attack drone procurement moving from experiment to program of record. AEVEX booked roughly ~$88.1 million of production orders for long-range precision strike systems announced in late July 2026, on top of a ~$50 million US Air Force award for advanced unmanned mission capabilities on June 30, 2026 and a ~$17.5 million follow-on in early July. The most optimistic published target, $45.00, assumes this works close to its best case.

The case against. Customer concentration is the dominant exposure: roughly ~78% of revenue comes from government buyers, so a continuing resolution, a program cancellation or a reprioritization inside the unmanned systems budget can move a full year of results. The most pessimistic target, $31.00, is roughly what AVEX is worth if this bites instead.

Read the full bull and bear case on AVEX, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

How is AEVEX Corp. (AVEX) valued? (approximate, August 2026)

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see AEVEX Corp.'s investor relations page or your broker.

  • Revenue (TTM): ~$596 million, up ~10.4% year over year
  • Net income (TTM): ~$29.6 million, or ~$0.33 per share
  • Market capitalization: ~$2.5 billion on ~114 million shares
  • P/E ratio (trailing): ~67x at a share price near ~$22
  • FY2026 revenue guidance: ~$600 million to ~$620 million
  • Funded backlog: ~$356.6 million at March 31, 2026, against a stated pipeline of ~$8.2 billion

AEVEX is profitable, which distinguishes it from most drone-adjacent listings, but the earnings base is thin relative to the market value, so the multiple carries the story. First quarter 2026 revenue of ~$216.7 million against ~$53.3 million a year earlier is not a like-for-like organic comparison, and the pre-IPO reporting history is short. The August 12, 2026 second quarter release is the first clean read on margin progression as a public company.

Who competes with AEVEX Corp. (AVEX)?

Listed unmanned systems and loitering munition makers

AeroVironment (AVAV) is the closest public analogue, with the Switchblade loitering munition line and a far longer public track record. Kratos Defense (KTOS) competes on target drones and low-cost jet-powered unmanned aircraft, and Red Cat Holdings (RCAT) sells small tactical quadcopters into overlapping Army and border programs. These are the names AEVEX is measured against on multiple and on program wins.

Private defense-tech challengers

Anduril, Shield AI and General Atomics bid the same autonomy and strike-drone solicitations without the disclosure burden or the quarterly clock. Anduril in particular competes on software-defined autonomy and on capital access, since private rounds have funded factory build-outs at a scale AEVEX would need public equity or debt to match.

Government ISR and mission-services integrators

On the Global Solutions side the rivals are Leidos, CACI, Booz Allen Hamilton, Parsons and V2X, all of which bid airborne ISR, processing and exploitation, and forward-deployed sustainment task orders. They are larger and lower-multiple, and they compete primarily on past performance and cost on recompetes rather than on hardware differentiation.

What stocks are similar to AEVEX Corp. (AVEX)?

Other names that sit close to AVEX: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.

How to invest in AEVEX Corp. (AVEX)

There are three common ways to get AVEX exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so AVEX sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where AVEX fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.

New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.

The bottom line on AEVEX Corp. (AVEX)

AEVEX is a real, profitable, order-backed drone maker whose share price is underwritten by Pentagon budget lines and a multiple that leaves little room for a slow quarter.

More on AEVEX Corp. (AVEX)

Whether AVEX is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is AVEX a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the AVEX stock forecast.

For income investors, whether AVEX pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does AVEX pay a dividend? And to weigh AVEX against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: AVEX vs AVAV and AVEX vs KTOS.

Wondering how AVEX fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in AEVEX Corp. with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how AVEX fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

FAQ

What does AVEX stand for and which exchange is it on?

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AVEX is the ticker for AEVEX Corp., a defense technology contractor headquartered in Solana Beach, California. Its Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange, and the company went public on April 17, 2026.

What does AEVEX actually make?

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Two things. Tactical Systems builds attritable unmanned systems, chiefly the Phoenix Ghost family of loitering munitions (with Disruptor and Dominator variants) and the Mako unmanned surface vessel. Global Solutions provides airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, imagery exploitation, and in-theater manufacturing and sustainment.

Is AEVEX profitable?

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Yes, on a trailing twelve-month basis. Net income is roughly ~$29.6 million, or about ~$0.33 per share, on revenue of roughly ~$596 million as of August 2026. That works out to a trailing P/E near ~67x at a share price around ~$22.

How much of AEVEX revenue comes from the US government?

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Roughly ~78% of revenue comes from government customers, principally US defense and national security buyers. That concentration means budget continuing resolutions, program restructurings and shifts inside the unmanned systems procurement lines move results directly.

Who controls AEVEX after the IPO?

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Madison Dearborn Partners, the private equity owner that assembled the business, retains roughly ~79% of the voting power through a dual-class share structure. Class A holders bought into the economics of the business without meaningful voting influence over the board or capital allocation.

How large is AEVEX backlog?

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Funded backlog was ~$356.6 million as of March 31, 2026, and management expected to convert about ~93% of it into revenue over the remainder of 2026. The company separately cites an identified opportunity pipeline of roughly ~$8.2 billion, which is a marketing figure rather than contracted work.

Why has AVEX been so volatile since listing?

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The IPO priced at ~$20 in April 2026 and shares traded as high as roughly ~$42.34 within days as investors chased military drone exposure, then settled back toward ~$22 by early August 2026. A small public float, a short reporting history and headline-driven sector sentiment together produce large swings on modest news.

What is the next event that matters for AVEX?

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AEVEX is scheduled to report second quarter 2026 results after the close on August 12, 2026, with CEO Roger Wells and CFO Todd Booth hosting the call. It is the first full quarter reported as a public company, so the margin trajectory and any change to the ~$600 million to ~$620 million revenue guidance are the figures to watch.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with AEVEX Corp.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.