Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Upgraded to “Buy” at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has $6.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $6.25.

AVAH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Barclays began coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $5.50 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.25.

Aveanna Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of AVAH stock opened at $4.03 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $786.21 million, a PE ratio of 201.50 and a beta of 1.98. Aveanna Healthcare has a 1-year low of $2.61 and a 1-year high of $6.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $5.02 and a 200 day moving average of $4.84.

Insider Activity at Aveanna Healthcare

In other Aveanna Healthcare news, CAO Deborah Stewart sold 15,457 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.56, for a total value of $85,940.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 285,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,586,801.76. This trade represents a 5.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Paul R. Vigano sold 1,560,700 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.36, for a total value of $8,365,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 29,640,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,874,452.16. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,115,345 shares of company stock worth $37,838,057 over the last quarter. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 105.0% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 400,374 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,830,000 after buying an additional 205,023 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 577.0% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 36,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 31,031 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 34,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 8,396 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth $223,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 50.9% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 49,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 16,835 shares during the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Aveanna Healthcare

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc, a diversified home care platform company, provides pediatric and adult healthcare services in the United States. Its patient-centered care delivery platform allows patients to remain in their homes and minimizes the overutilization of high-cost care settings, such as hospitals or skilled nursing facilities.