Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Trading Up 4.6% Following Strong Earnings

Key Points

• Aveanna Healthcare shares rose 4.6% after the company posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.18 versus $0.13 expected and revenue of $647.9 million versus $613.2 million anticipated.
• The company also reported 15.9% year-over-year revenue growth and management raised full-year 2026 guidance, increasing both revenue and adjusted EBITDA targets.
• Broker sentiment turned more positive as Stephens upgraded the stock to overweight with an $11 price target, while several other firms also maintained or raised bullish ratings.

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH - Get Free Report) shares were up 4.6% during trading on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $8.04 and last traded at $7.7840. Approximately 388,583 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 1,261,986 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.44.

The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.05. Aveanna Healthcare had a return on equity of 481.69% and a net margin of 9.25%.The company had revenue of $647.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $613.22 million. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Key Stories Impacting Aveanna Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aveanna reported Q1 earnings of $0.18 per share, topping estimates of $0.13, while revenue came in at $647.9 million versus $613.2 million expected. The company also posted 15.9% year-over-year revenue growth and a sharp increase in net income, signaling solid operational momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised full-year 2026 guidance, lifting revenue expectations to $2.56 billion-$2.58 billion and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $328 million-$332 million. Higher forward targets suggest confidence in continued growth and margin improvement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens upgraded Aveanna Healthcare from “equal weight” to “overweight” and set an $11 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade adds another bullish catalyst for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple earnings call transcripts and recap articles mainly reiterate the same upbeat earnings and guidance story, reinforcing the positive narrative but adding little new information. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on AVAH. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Aveanna Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $13.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $9.50 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $10.44.

Insider Activity at Aveanna Healthcare

In related news, CFO Matthew Buckhalter sold 13,512 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total transaction of $97,421.52. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 529,243 shares in the company, valued at $3,815,842.03. This represents a 2.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Edwin C. Reisz sold 60,769 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total transaction of $438,144.49. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,447,057 shares in the company, valued at $10,433,280.97. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 738,957 shares of company stock worth $5,458,175 over the last quarter. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAH. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth $156,000. State of Wyoming boosted its position in Aveanna Healthcare by 15.7% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 73,838 shares of the company's stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 9,995 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Aveanna Healthcare by 49.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,334,374 shares of the company's stock worth $8,593,000 after purchasing an additional 441,707 shares during the last quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 137,706 shares of the company's stock valued at $887,000 after purchasing an additional 6,115 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 66,668 shares of the company's stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,823 shares during the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Up 6.0%

The company's 50-day moving average price is $6.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $7.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.62, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 7.74 and a beta of 1.93.

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.

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