Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $11.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $11.06.

Aveanna Healthcare Price Performance

AVAH opened at $8.99 on Tuesday. Aveanna Healthcare has a 52-week low of $3.67 and a 52-week high of $10.32. The company has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97 and a beta of 2.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $8.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.88.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder J.H. Whitney Equity Partners V sold 1,251,909 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.00, for a total transaction of $11,267,181.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 19,292,787 shares in the company, valued at $173,635,083. This represents a 6.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeff Shaner sold 29,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,794,305.15. The trade was a 1.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,511,547 shares of company stock worth $40,376,776. 7.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its position in Aveanna Healthcare by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 14,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 0.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 179,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 4.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 1,528 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners lifted its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 16,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 2,007 shares during the period. Finally, Olympiad Research LP lifted its holdings in Aveanna Healthcare by 7.5% in the third quarter. Olympiad Research LP now owns 31,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

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.