Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Position in Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. $AVAH

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 38% in the fourth quarter, adding more than 1.5 million shares and bringing its holding to 5.58 million shares worth about $45.6 million.
• Other institutional investors also boosted or initiated positions, with hedge funds owning a large majority of the stock; about 87.96% of Aveanna is held by institutions and hedge funds.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally constructive: recent ratings changes included upgrades from Raymond James and Stephens, while the consensus view is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $10.44.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH - Free Report) by 38.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,577,010 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,535,351 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 2.67% of Aveanna Healthcare worth $45,564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $15,743,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 70.1% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,130,912 shares of the company's stock worth $10,031,000 after purchasing an additional 466,022 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC raised its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 120.1% in the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 1,022,599 shares of the company's stock worth $9,070,000 after purchasing an additional 557,898 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 451.3% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 959,488 shares of the company's stock worth $8,511,000 after purchasing an additional 785,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the third quarter worth approximately $7,922,000. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Aveanna Healthcare from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Raymond James Financial raised Aveanna Healthcare from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Stephens raised Aveanna Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $10.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $10.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aveanna Healthcare news, insider Patrick A. Cunningham sold 18,436 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total value of $132,923.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 337,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,435,213.55. This trade represents a 5.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jeff Shaner sold 173,225 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total value of $1,248,952.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,650,892 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,112,931.32. This represents a 6.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 738,957 shares of company stock valued at $5,458,175. Company insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AVAH opened at $7.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.62, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.92. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.73 and a 1 year high of $10.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 1.93.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.05. Aveanna Healthcare had a return on equity of 210.63% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business had revenue of $647.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $613.22 million. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. will post 0.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Aveanna Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aveanna reported Q1 2026 EPS of $0.18, topping the $0.13 consensus estimate, while revenue came in at $647.9 million versus expectations of $613.2 million. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised 2026 revenue guidance to $2.56 billion-$2.58 billion and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $328 million-$332 million, signaling management sees continued momentum ahead. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens upgraded AVAH from “equal weight” to “overweight” and increased its price target to $11, reflecting improved confidence in the stock’s outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada also raised its price target on AVAH to $10 from $9, adding to the generally favorable analyst response after earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings-call transcripts and recap articles largely repeated the same message: strong quarterly results, revenue growth, and improved guidance, reinforcing the bullish narrative but not adding new catalysts. Article Title

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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