Avista (NYSE:AVA) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.06 EPS

Avista (NYSE:AVA) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. Avista had a net margin of 9.83% and a return on equity of 7.29%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Avista’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Avista updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.520-2.720 EPS.

Avista Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVA traded up $0.05 on Tuesday, reaching $40.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 44,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 618,218. The company has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.24. Avista has a 52-week low of $35.50 and a 52-week high of $43.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.13.

Avista Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. This is an increase from Avista’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Avista from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Zacks Research lowered Avista from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In related news, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total transaction of $71,038.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $337,552.18. This trade represents a 17.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avista

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter valued at $208,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avista during the 4th quarter valued at $208,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Avista in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Avista Company Profile

Avista Corporation operates as an integrated energy company providing electric and natural gas delivery services to residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest. Through its regulated utility operations, the company maintains and upgrades an extensive transmission and distribution network, delivering reliable energy to approximately 400,000 electric customers and 324,000 natural gas customers across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. In addition to its core utility business, Avista invests in owned generation assets, including hydroelectric, natural gas–fired, coal and wind facilities, to support system reliability and long-term supply planning.

Founded in 1889 as the Spokane and Inland Empire Water Power Company, the business adopted the Avista name in 1999 to reflect its growing energy portfolio and strategic focus on innovation.