Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Key Points

• Barclays raised Aveanna Healthcare’s price target to $15 from $9.50 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 12.02% upside from the reported $13.39 share price.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Aveanna has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $13.50, while recent quarterly earnings and revenue exceeded expectations.
• AVAH shares fell 3.1% in Friday trading, while major shareholder Paul R. Vigano and CEO Jeff Shaner disclosed stock sales. Institutional investors own approximately 87.96% of the company.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by research analysts at Barclays from $9.50 to $15.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price target suggests a potential upside of 12.02% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also commented on AVAH. UBS Group raised their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $8.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Stephens raised shares of Aveanna Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $10.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aveanna Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. One investment 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 currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.50.

Aveanna Healthcare Trading Down 3.1%

AVAH stock traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $13.39. 306,795 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,816,258. Aveanna Healthcare has a 12-month low of $5.93 and a 12-month high of $14.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.89, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.47.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $670.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $638.61 million. Aveanna Healthcare had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 80.70%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Aveanna Healthcare will post 0.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aveanna Healthcare

In other Aveanna Healthcare news, major shareholder Paul R. Vigano sold 2,250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.50, for a total value of $25,875,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 12,315,892 shares of the company's stock, valued at $141,632,758. This trade represents a 15.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jeff Shaner sold 90,000 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.50, for a total value of $1,035,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,561,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,462,678. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 79,746,745 shares of company stock worth $773,117,091 over the last quarter. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Littlejohn & Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Aveanna Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $1,846,878,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Aveanna Healthcare by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,577,010 shares of the company's stock worth $45,564,000 after buying an additional 1,535,351 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 49.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,334,374 shares of the company's stock worth $8,593,000 after acquiring an additional 441,707 shares in the last quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,123,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 425.8% during the 1st quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 163,966 shares of the company's stock worth $1,056,000 after acquiring an additional 132,779 shares in the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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