Avista (NYSE:AVA) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 509,381 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the previous session’s volume of 648,268 shares.The stock last traded at $40.7060 and had previously closed at $42.43.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on AVA. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Avista has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.75.

Avista Stock Down 2.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a fifty day moving average of $41.30 and a 200 day moving average of $40.46.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $570.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.55 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Avista by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Bayban purchased a new position in Avista during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Avista during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Avista during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Avista by 619.5% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

About Avista

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.