Patrick Cunningham Sells 17,965 Shares of Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) insider Patrick Cunningham sold 17,965 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.38, for a total value of $132,581.70. Following the sale, the insider owned 356,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,628,689.58. The trade was a 4.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Aveanna Healthcare Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of AVAH stock opened at $7.34 on Friday. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3.67 and a fifty-two week high of $10.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $8.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 2.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AVAH. Zacks Research lowered Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $11.00 price target on the stock. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aveanna Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.06.

Aveanna Healthcare News Roundup

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

Institutional Trading of Aveanna Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its position 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 period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 0.8% in 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. increased its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 4.5% during 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 period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 19,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 1,739 shares during the period. Finally, Balboa Wealth Partners raised its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 16,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 2,007 shares during the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by 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.