Insider Selling: Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Insider Sells $132,581.70 in Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) insider Patrick Cunningham sold 17,965 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.38, for a total value of $132,581.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,191 shares in the company, valued at $2,628,689.58. This represents a 4.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Down 1.1%

AVAH opened at $7.34 on Friday. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.67 and a 1 year high of $10.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $8.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 2.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AVAH. William Blair initiated coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $11.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aveanna Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.06.

Aveanna Healthcare News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aveanna Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying in recent quarters — firms including Invesco, Millennium, Zimmer Partners and others increased or established positions in Q4, a vote of confidence that can support the stock over the medium term. MarketBeat Institutional Activity
• Positive Sentiment: Despite recent sales, insiders still retain large, multi‑million‑dollar stakes (CEO, CFO and others remain major shareholders), which can temper panic selling and signal some continued alignment with shareholders. SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest shows zero shares for mid‑February — this is almost certainly a reporting/data anomaly and does not indicate genuine lack of short interest. Treat the short‑interest figure cautiously. Short Interest Data
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume today was below recent averages; low volume can amplify price moves when large blocks or news hit the tape (higher intraday volatility risk).
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed: consensus is around a “Hold” with an average target near $11 — helpful context for longer‑term positioning but not an immediate catalyst. Analyst Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Large, concentrated insider selling Feb. 17–19 by CEO Jeff Shaner — roughly 461,900 shares sold across three days (~$3.4M reported proceeds) — is the primary negative catalyst driving downward pressure as the market interprets sizeable CEO disposals as risk reduction. CEO Sales SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Additional senior/executive selling (CFO Matthew Buckhalter, CAO Deborah Stewart, and other insiders including Edwin C. Reisz and Patrick A. Cunningham) involved hundreds of thousands of shares total across the same dates — a reinforcing negative signal that likely amplified the pullback. Other Insider Filings
• Negative Sentiment: Independent coverage singled out the insider selling as the main reason for a recent ~5–6% pullback, increasing market attention on the disposals and reinforcing short‑term selling pressure. AAII Article

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Aveanna Healthcare by 38.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,577,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,564,000 after buying an additional 1,535,351 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,849,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,110,000 after acquiring an additional 278,429 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $15,743,000. Nuveen LLC raised its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 135.9% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,571,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,838,000 after acquiring an additional 905,316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,483,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,118,000 after purchasing an additional 256,392 shares during the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Aveanna Healthcare

Aveanna Healthcare, Inc (NASDAQ: AVAH) is a national provider of in-home health care services, specializing in pediatric skilled nursing, therapy, and related support for medically complex and chronically ill children. The company delivers a range of clinical and therapeutic solutions designed to enable patients to receive care in the comfort of their own homes, reducing the need for hospital stays and long-term institutional care. Aveanna’s offerings include registered nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy, behavioral health counseling, and durable medical equipment coordination.

In addition to pediatric home health services, Aveanna operates adult home health and personal care support programs, assisting elderly and disabled adults with daily living activities, medication management, and rehabilitation therapies.