Aerovironment Inc (AVAV) SEC Filing 10-K Annual report for the fiscal year ending Saturday, April 30, 2016

Exhibit 99.1

AeroVironment, Inc. Announces Fiscal 2016 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

MONROVIA, Calif., June 28, 2016

“Fiscal 2016 fully diluted earnings per share increased 200 percent from the prior year to $0.39, we delivered revenue within our guidance range and exceeded gross profit margin guidance, including a favorable one-time government contract reserve reduction,” said Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment president and chief executive officer.  “International small UAS revenue grew significantly in fiscal 2016 and we expect it to remain a major contributor to fiscal 2017 revenue.  We also made significant progress in developing the right solution for what we believe is a very large emerging market opportunity for commercial UAS applications, where early adopter customers are evaluating new hardware prototypes and pre-release software.”

“Our team maintained leading market positions in small UAS and Tactical Missile Systems for defense applications, and in electric vehicle charging and test solutions for commercial and consumer applications throughout 2016.  We believe we are well positioned for long-term growth potential in our core and growth markets by staying focused on helping our customers proceed with certainty,” Mr. Nawabi added.

FISCAL 2016 FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS

Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 was $84.8 million, a decrease of 2% from fourth quarter fiscal 2015 revenue of $86.5 million. The decrease in revenue resulted from a decrease in sales in our Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) segment of $2.8 million, partially offset by an increase in sales in our Efficient Energy Systems (EES) segment of $1.1 million.

Gross margin for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 was $37.9 million, a decrease of 16% from fourth quarter fiscal 2015 gross margin of $45.4 million. The decrease in gross margin was due to a decrease in product margin of $8.1 million, partially offset by an increase in service margin of $0.7 million. As a percentage of revenue, gross margin decreased to 45% from 52%.

Income from operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 was $6.8 million compared to income from operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 of $7.5 million. The decrease in income from operations was a result of a decrease in gross margin of $7.4 million and an increase in selling, general & administrative (SG&A) expense of $1.2 million, partially offset by a decrease in research and development (R&D) of $7.9 million.

Other income, net, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 was $0.5 million compared to other expense, net, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 of $0.5 million.  The increase in other income, net was primarily due to losses on our CybAero equity securities recorded during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. The CybAero equity securities were sold during the second quarter of fiscal 2016.

Net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 was $5.4 million compared to net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 of $7.1 million.

Earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 were $0.23 compared to earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 of $0.31.  Earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 included a loss of $0.01 per share due to losses on our equity investment.

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