Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Lowered to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $9.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Stephens raised shares of Aveanna Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $10.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Aveanna Healthcare from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $11.78.

Aveanna Healthcare Price Performance

Aveanna Healthcare stock opened at $12.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.02, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.76. Aveanna Healthcare has a 52 week low of $5.93 and a 52 week high of $12.52.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $670.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $638.61 million. Aveanna Healthcare had a return on equity of 99.71% and a net margin of 10.56%. On average, research analysts forecast that Aveanna Healthcare will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Aveanna Healthcare

In related news, insider Patrick A. Cunningham sold 125,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.59, for a total transaction of $948,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 212,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,614,810.45. This trade represents a 37.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Paul R. Vigano sold 7,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.24, for a total value of $43,680,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 252,899 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,089.76. The trade was a 96.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,305,664 shares of company stock valued at $215,555,910. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAH. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at $63,504,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Aveanna Healthcare by 38.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,577,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,564,000 after purchasing an additional 1,535,351 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 1,007.1% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,114,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,014,030 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Aveanna Healthcare in the second quarter worth $7,881,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC boosted its position in Aveanna Healthcare by 135.9% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,571,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,838,000 after buying an additional 905,316 shares during the period. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Aveanna Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations. Revenue increased 13.7% year over year to $670.5 million, while net income rose to $40.3 million from $27.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA reached $95.4 million, up 8.0%, and adjusted EPS of $0.22 topped analyst estimates of $0.19. Aveanna Healthcare Second Quarter Financial Results and Revised 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised full-year guidance. Aveanna now expects 2026 revenue above $2.68 billion, compared with its previous $2.63 billion-$2.65 billion range, and adjusted EBITDA above $365 million, up from $338 million-$342 million. The company cited reimbursement improvements, preferred-payer relationships and continued demand for complex home care. AVAH Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Higher Growth Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted their price targets. BMO Capital Markets raised its target from $10 to $14 and maintained an “outperform” rating. UBS raised its target from $8 to $13, although it retained a “neutral” rating. The revisions signal improved earnings expectations and support the stock’s recent strength. Benzinga analyst price target updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth is concentrated in Private Duty Services, which generates roughly 83% of revenue. Rapid revenue expansion is offsetting pressure on gross margins across business segments, making margin trends an important focus for investors. Aveanna Healthcare Q2 Earnings Report

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.