Insider Selling: Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) CAO Sells $80,412.48 in Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) CAO Deborah Stewart sold 10,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.38, for a total transaction of $80,412.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 312,988 shares in the company, valued at $2,309,851.44. This trade represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Deborah Stewart also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 19th, Deborah Stewart sold 11,181 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total transaction of $80,615.01.
• On Tuesday, February 17th, Deborah Stewart sold 7,738 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.65, for a total value of $59,195.70.
• On Friday, January 2nd, Deborah Stewart sold 11,962 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total value of $93,901.70.
• On Wednesday, December 31st, Deborah Stewart sold 11,275 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.18, for a total value of $92,229.50.
• On Tuesday, December 30th, Deborah Stewart sold 11,379 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.36, for a total value of $95,128.44.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock opened at $7.34 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 2.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $8.45 and a 200 day moving average of $8.50. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $3.67 and a 12 month high of $10.32.

Key Aveanna Healthcare News

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its holdings 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 worth $126,000 after buying an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 179,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,591,000 after acquiring an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,528 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,739 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balboa Wealth Partners increased its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 16,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 2,007 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research lowered Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.06.

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.