Insider Selling: Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Insider Sells $132,923.56 in Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) insider Patrick Cunningham sold 18,436 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total value of $132,923.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 337,755 shares in the company, valued at $2,435,213.55. The trade was a 5.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Down 1.1%

AVAH stock opened at $7.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 2.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.50. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.67 and a 1-year high of $10.32.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVAH has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $13.00 price target on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Friday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $11.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research lowered Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.06.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAH. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 232.8% in the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 224,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,990,000 after purchasing an additional 156,947 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the third quarter worth about $7,356,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 207.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 479,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,510,000 after acquiring an additional 323,656 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the third quarter valued at approximately $15,743,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 226.0% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 393,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,487,000 after acquiring an additional 272,561 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Aveanna Healthcare News Summary

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

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.