Moody's Ratings on Tuesday raised a series of credit assessments for Aveanna Healthcare LLC, promoting the company's corporate family rating from B3 to B2 and moving its probability of default rating from B3-PD to B2-PD. The agency also upgraded the rating on Aveanna's senior secured first lien bank credit facility to B2 from B3 and improved the speculative grade liquidity rating to SGL-1 from SGL-2. Moody's assigned a stable outlook to the ratings.
The upgrade reflects what Moody's described as a material improvement in overall business performance that has driven a reduction in financial leverage. The rating agency said it expects that lower leverage to be sustained going forward. Moody's attributed the stronger results to the company's execution of strategic initiatives aimed at supporting business volume growth, improving clinical outcomes, securing appropriate reimbursement rates and lowering operating costs.
Looking ahead, Moody's expects Aveanna to sustain good growth over the next 12 to 18 months while operating with leverage in the mid-to-high 4.0 times range. The firm also noted that liquidity is viewed as very good: Aveanna held $189 million in cash as of April 4, 2026, and Moody's expects the company to generate positive free cash flow of $100 million to $150 million over the coming 12 months. The rating agency pointed to the company's access to a $250 million revolving credit facility and a $275 million securitization facility as additional liquidity support.
Moody's assessment of the B2 corporate family rating balances a number of positive and constraining factors. On the positive side, the firm highlighted Aveanna's niche position within a fragmented market for pediatric home health services, where it provides critical care to children and families, and its expanding presence in the broader home health and hospice segment.
On the constraining side, Moody's pointed to high but declining financial leverage, notable business concentration in California, Texas and Pennsylvania, and exposure to potential reimbursement cuts from government payors, especially Medicaid. The agency also emphasized Aveanna's high reliance on Medicaid reimbursement through its Private Duty Services business, which accounts for approximately 82% of the company's revenue.
Contextual note: The ratings action centers on observable improvements in operating results and balance sheet metrics reported to Moody's and the firm's expectation that these trends will persist in the near term.