Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.00.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings raised Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Zacks Research lowered Avista from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th.

Avista Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:AVA opened at $41.47 on Friday. Avista has a 1-year low of $35.50 and a 1-year high of $43.50. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $40.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.52, a PEG ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.24.

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

Avista Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be issued a $0.4925 dividend. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is 78.49%.

Insider Activity

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at $431,150.58. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total value of $71,038.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $337,552.18. This trade represents a 17.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 3,916 shares of company stock valued at $158,408 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avista

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 90.7% in the fourth 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 bought a new stake in shares of Avista in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Avista in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Avista in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 619.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.