Robert Williams, Jr. Sells 14,500,002 Shares of Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) major shareholder Robert Williams, Jr. sold 14,500,002 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.50, for a total transaction of $166,750,023.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Aveanna Healthcare Trading Up 4.1%

NASDAQ:AVAH traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $13.70. 5,371,630 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,804,159. The firm has a market cap of $2.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.14, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.92. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $5.93 and a 52-week high of $13.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.47, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $670.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $638.61 million. Aveanna Healthcare had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 80.70%. As a group, analysts predict that Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. will post 0.68 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 21.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 26,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 4,602 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 8.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 339,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,842,000 after buying an additional 25,974 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 522.0% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 75,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 63,010 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Aveanna Healthcare by 15.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 6,171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Aveanna Healthcare by 65.0% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 158,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $828,000 after acquiring an additional 62,348 shares in the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Aveanna Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target for Aveanna Healthcare from $10 to $16 and upgraded the stock to “outperform.” The new target implies additional upside from recent trading levels, providing a bullish signal for AVAH. Benzinga analyst price-target report
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist Financial increased its price target from $11 to $15 but maintained a “hold” rating. The higher valuation suggests improved expectations, while the unchanged rating indicates the firm does not see a compelling reason to become more bullish after the stock’s recent advance. Benzinga analyst price-target report
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold a combined 320,000 shares at an average price of $11.50, generating approximately $3.68 million. CEO Jeff Shaner sold 90,000 shares, director Rodney D. Windley sold 180,000, and insider Edwin C. Reisz sold 50,000. Each retained a substantial stake, but the coordinated sales—particularly Windley’s roughly 8% position reduction—could raise concerns about insider confidence or add near-term selling pressure. CEO insider sale filing Director insider sale filing Insider sale filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $12.89.

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.