Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.05 EPS

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.05, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $647.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $613.22 million. Aveanna Healthcare had a return on equity of 481.69% and a net margin of 9.25%.Aveanna Healthcare’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Aveanna Healthcare’s conference call:

• Aveanna posted strong Q1 results with revenue of about $648 million, up 15.9% year over year, and adjusted EBITDA of $84.4 million, up 25.2%, driven by better rates, higher volumes, and operational efficiencies.
• The company raised full-year 2026 guidance to revenue of $2.56 billion-$2.58 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $328 million-$332 million, excluding the pending Family First acquisition.
• Preferred payer strategy continues to gain traction across all businesses, with 4 new PDS preferred payer agreements, 4 new Home Health agreements, and 2 new Medical Solutions agreements in Q1.
• Management said the new CMS Home Health moratorium should not affect Aveanna or its Family First acquisition, and it does not change the company’s 2026 or 2027 business plans.
• Balance sheet and cash generation remain solid, with liquidity of about $525 million and net leverage at 3.8x, while management reiterated a path toward further deleveraging alongside tuck-in acquisitions.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Up 9.9%

AVAH stock traded up $0.67 on Thursday, hitting $7.44. 4,276,480 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,274,675. Aveanna Healthcare has a 12-month low of $3.73 and a 12-month high of $10.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $6.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.62, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.29 and a beta of 1.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aveanna Healthcare news, CEO Jeff Shaner sold 173,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total transaction of $1,248,952.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,650,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,112,931.32. The trade was a 6.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew Buckhalter sold 13,512 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total value of $97,421.52. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 529,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,815,842.03. The trade was a 2.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 738,957 shares of company stock valued at $5,458,175 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Aveanna Healthcare

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 14,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 179,359 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,528 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 19,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,739 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 31,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 4,385 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AVAH. Raymond James Financial raised Aveanna Healthcare from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $10.25.

Aveanna Healthcare Company Profile

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.