Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (AVAH) stock is soaring 12.05% in pre-market trading on Monday, following a significant upgrade from Raymond James. The healthcare services provider's shares are responding strongly to the improved analyst outlook, signaling a surge in investor confidence.

Raymond James analyst John Ransom has upgraded Aveanna Healthcare from Market Perform to Outperform, assigning a new price target of $9.00. This represents a substantial upside potential from the stock's previous closing price and is significantly higher than the prior mean price target of $6.69 among analysts polled by FactSet.

The upgrade from Raymond James marks a notable shift in the market sentiment towards Aveanna Healthcare. Prior to this upgrade, the company had an average rating of "hold" among analysts. Investors will be closely watching how the stock performs during regular trading hours and whether it can sustain the pre-market momentum. This positive development could potentially influence other analysts' views on the stock in the coming days, further impacting its performance.