Insider Selling: Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) CEO Sells $1,248,952.25 in Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) CEO Jeff Shaner sold 173,225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total transaction of $1,248,952.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,650,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,112,931.32. This trade represents a 6.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Jeff Shaner also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 18th, Jeff Shaner sold 168,800 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.38, for a total transaction of $1,245,744.00.
• On Tuesday, February 17th, Jeff Shaner sold 119,884 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.65, for a total transaction of $917,112.60.
• On Friday, January 2nd, Jeff Shaner sold 29,357 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total value of $230,452.45.
• On Wednesday, December 31st, Jeff Shaner sold 27,674 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.18, for a total value of $226,373.32.
• On Tuesday, December 30th, Jeff Shaner sold 27,929 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.36, for a total value of $233,486.44.

Aveanna Healthcare Trading Down 1.1%

AVAH opened at $7.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $3.67 and a 52 week high of $10.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 2.06. The business has a 50 day moving average of $8.45 and a 200-day moving average of $8.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVAH has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. William Blair initiated coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.06.

Aveanna Healthcare News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying in recent quarters — firms including Invesco, Millennium, Zimmer Partners and others increased or established positions in Q4, a vote of confidence that can support the stock over the medium term. MarketBeat Institutional Activity
• Positive Sentiment: Despite recent sales, insiders still retain large, multi‑million‑dollar stakes (CEO, CFO and others remain major shareholders), which can temper panic selling and signal some continued alignment with shareholders. SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest shows zero shares for mid‑February — this is almost certainly a reporting/data anomaly and does not indicate genuine lack of short interest. Treat the short‑interest figure cautiously. Short Interest Data
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume today was below recent averages; low volume can amplify price moves when large blocks or news hit the tape (higher intraday volatility risk).
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed: consensus is around a “Hold” with an average target near $11 — helpful context for longer‑term positioning but not an immediate catalyst. Analyst Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Large, concentrated insider selling Feb. 17–19 by CEO Jeff Shaner — roughly 461,900 shares sold across three days (~$3.4M reported proceeds) — is the primary negative catalyst driving downward pressure as the market interprets sizeable CEO disposals as risk reduction. CEO Sales SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Additional senior/executive selling (CFO Matthew Buckhalter, CAO Deborah Stewart, and other insiders including Edwin C. Reisz and Patrick A. Cunningham) involved hundreds of thousands of shares total across the same dates — a reinforcing negative signal that likely amplified the pullback. Other Insider Filings
• Negative Sentiment: Independent coverage singled out the insider selling as the main reason for a recent ~5–6% pullback, increasing market attention on the disposals and reinforcing short‑term selling pressure. AAII Article

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,535,351 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,849,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,110,000 after purchasing an additional 278,429 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth $15,743,000. Nuveen LLC raised its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 135.9% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,571,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,838,000 after purchasing an additional 905,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,483,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,118,000 after purchasing an additional 256,392 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

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.