Insider Selling: Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) CEO Sells $917,112.60 in Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) CEO Jeff Shaner sold 119,884 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.65, for a total value of $917,112.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,992,917 shares in the company, valued at $22,895,815.05. The trade was a 3.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

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

• On Thursday, February 19th, Jeff Shaner sold 173,225 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total value of $1,248,952.25.
• On Wednesday, February 18th, Jeff Shaner sold 168,800 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.38, for a total value of $1,245,744.00.
• On Friday, January 2nd, Jeff Shaner sold 29,357 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $8.18, for a total transaction 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 transaction of $233,486.44.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Performance

NASDAQ 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. The company has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 2.06. Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $3.67 and a 12-month high of $10.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $8.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. William Blair initiated coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Truist Financial increased their target price on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aveanna Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.06.

Institutional Trading of Aveanna Healthcare

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVAH. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 21.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 26,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 4,602 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 8.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 339,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,842,000 after acquiring an additional 25,974 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 522.0% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 75,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 63,010 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, Belvedere Trading LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Aveanna Healthcare News

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

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.