Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,367,054 shares, a growth of 20.6% from the December 15th total of 3,619,836 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,209,222 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,209,222 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Aveanna Healthcare Price Performance

Aveanna Healthcare stock opened at $9.22 on Monday. Aveanna Healthcare has a 1 year low of $3.67 and a 1 year high of $10.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.39, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $8.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.80. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.61 and a beta of 2.06.

Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 3.29% and a negative return on equity of 143.55%. The company had revenue of $621.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $578.57 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Aveanna Healthcare will post -0.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Aveanna Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.06.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder J.H. Whitney Equity Partners V sold 8,346,059 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.00, for a total value of $75,114,531.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 20,544,696 shares in the company, valued at $184,902,264. The trade was a 28.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew Buckhalter sold 18,340 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total transaction of $143,969.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 436,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,430,293. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 32,857,606 shares of company stock valued at $295,491,307 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aveanna Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Aveanna Healthcare by 21.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 26,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 4,602 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 339,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,842,000 after purchasing an additional 25,974 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aveanna Healthcare by 522.0% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 75,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 63,010 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Aveanna Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Aveanna Healthcare by 4.0% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 75,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 2,918 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Aveanna Healthcare Company Profile

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.