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

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

Aveanna Healthcare Price Performance

Aveanna Healthcare stock opened at $13.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.14, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.90. 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 quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $9.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.95.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AVAH. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Stephens raised Aveanna Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $10.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Aveanna Healthcare from $8.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aveanna Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $12.89.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAH. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Aveanna Healthcare by 21.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 26,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 4,602 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 339,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,842,000 after purchasing an additional 25,974 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Aveanna Healthcare by 522.0% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 75,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 63,010 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Aveanna Healthcare by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 6,171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 65.0% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 158,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $828,000 after purchasing an additional 62,348 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Aveanna Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target from $10 to $16 and upgraded its rating to “outperform,” implying additional upside from the stock’s recent trading level. Benzinga analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial lifted its price target from $11 to $15 while maintaining a “hold” rating. The higher target reflects improved valuation expectations, even though Truist remains cautious on the shares. Benzinga analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders and major shareholders disclosed approximately 48.6 million shares of sales at an average price of $11.50, worth roughly $558.5 million. Sellers included Paul R. Vigano, Robert M. Williams Jr., and J.H. Whitney Equity Partners V, as well as CEO Jeff Shaner, director Rodney D. Windley, and insider Edwin C. Reisz. Although the sellers retained sizable positions, the volume of stock coming to market may pressure AVAH and raise questions about shareholder confidence. SEC insider transaction filing

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.