Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Stock Price Up 8.4% – Should You Buy?

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) shares rose 8.4% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $9.21 and last traded at $9.2070. Approximately 285,416 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 1,128,623 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.49.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $11.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research lowered shares of Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. William Blair started coverage on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 8th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.69.

Aveanna Healthcare Trading Up 10.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.18 and a beta of 2.06. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $8.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.71.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $621.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $578.57 million. Aveanna Healthcare had a net margin of 3.29% and a negative return on equity of 143.55%. Equities analysts expect that Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. will post -0.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aveanna Healthcare

In other Aveanna Healthcare news, CFO Matthew Buckhalter sold 18,340 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total value of $143,969.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 436,980 shares in the company, valued at $3,430,293. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jeff Shaner sold 29,357 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total transaction of $230,452.45. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,394,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,794,305.15. The trade was a 1.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 32,857,606 shares of company stock valued at $295,491,307. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Aveanna Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAH. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in Aveanna Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $57,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Belvedere Trading LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $64,000. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.