Insider Selling: Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ:AVAH) CFO Sells $97,421.52 in Stock

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAH) CFO Matthew Buckhalter sold 13,512 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.21, for a total value of $97,421.52. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 529,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,815,842.03. This trade represents a 2.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Matthew Buckhalter also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 18th, Matthew Buckhalter sold 13,167 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.38, for a total transaction of $97,172.46.
• On Tuesday, February 17th, Matthew Buckhalter sold 9,351 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.65, for a total value of $71,535.15.
• On Friday, January 2nd, Matthew Buckhalter sold 18,340 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.85, for a total transaction of $143,969.00.
• On Wednesday, December 31st, Matthew Buckhalter sold 17,289 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.18, for a total transaction of $141,424.02.
• On Tuesday, December 30th, Matthew Buckhalter sold 17,448 shares of Aveanna Healthcare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.36, for a total value of $145,865.28.

Aveanna Healthcare Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AVAH opened at $7.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39 and a beta of 2.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.50. 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 12-month low of $3.67 and a 12-month high of $10.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on AVAH. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Aveanna Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Aveanna Healthcare from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Aveanna Healthcare in a report on Friday, December 5th. Five 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.com, Aveanna Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.06.

Aveanna Healthcare News Roundup

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 Trading of Aveanna Healthcare

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