Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold”

Zacks Research lowered shares of Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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. William Blair began coverage on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aveanna Healthcare has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.06.

Aveanna Healthcare Price Performance

AVAH opened at $7.84 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.78 and a beta of 2.06. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $8.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.18. Aveanna Healthcare has a 12-month low of $3.67 and a 12-month high of $10.32.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.08. Aveanna Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 143.55% and a net margin of 3.29%.The company had revenue of $621.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $578.57 million. Equities analysts predict that Aveanna Healthcare will post -0.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Matthew Buckhalter sold 18,340 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total value of $143,969.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 436,980 shares in the company, valued at $3,430,293. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Patrick A. Cunningham sold 12,445 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total transaction of $97,693.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 293,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,302,828.90. This trade represents a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 259,638 shares of company stock valued at $2,109,595 over the last three months. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Aveanna Healthcare

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Aveanna Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aveanna Healthcare in the second quarter worth $59,000. Belvedere Trading LLC bought a new position in Aveanna Healthcare in the second quarter worth $62,000. Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Aveanna Healthcare during the second quarter valued at $64,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aveanna Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $68,000. 87.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.