For the quarter ended July 2024, AeroVironment (AVAV Quick QuoteAVAV - Free Report) reported revenue of $189.48 million, up 24.4% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.89, compared to $1.00 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +2.84% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $184.26 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.61, the EPS surprise was +45.90%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how AeroVironment performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Revenue- Contract Services

  : $29.98 million compared to the $36.71 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -8.8% year over year.

• Revenue- Product Sales

  : $159.50 million versus $149.67 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +33.5% change.

• Gross margin- Contract services

  : $7.48 million versus $9.31 million estimated by two analysts on average.

• Gross margin- Product sales

  : $73.99 million compared to the $64.28 million average estimate based on two analysts.

View all Key Company Metrics for AeroVironment here>>>

Shares of AeroVironment have returned +13.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.6% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.