Avista Corporation $AVA Shares Acquired by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 21.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,070 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $1,292,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Avista by 8,255.8% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 504,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $21,117,000 after acquiring an additional 498,318 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Avista by 983.2% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 98,649 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,088,000 after purchasing an additional 89,542 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Avista by 48.5% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 35,188 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,473,000 after purchasing an additional 11,489 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Avista by 39.2% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 243,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,176,000 after buying an additional 68,394 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Avista by 42.3% during the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 50,210 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after buying an additional 14,919 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Avista

In other news, SVP Bryan Alden Cox purchased 3,671 shares of Avista stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $35.55 per share, for a total transaction of $130,504.05. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 9,989 shares in the company, valued at $355,108.95. This represents a 58.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP David J. Meyer sold 1,367 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.72, for a total value of $50,196.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $308,227.68. The trade was a 14.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVA. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Avista from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho set a $42.00 target price on shares of Avista in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Avista to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.33.

Avista Stock Down 0.4%

Avista stock opened at $41.69 on Thursday. Avista Corporation has a twelve month low of $34.80 and a twelve month high of $43.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $37.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.97.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.09. Avista had a net margin of 9.13% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The business had revenue of $403.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $402.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. Avista’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Avista Corporation will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.40%.

Avista Company Profile

Avista Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company. It operates in two segments, Avista Utilities and AEL&P. The Avista Utilities segment provides electric distribution and transmission, and natural gas distribution services in parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho; and natural gas distribution services in parts of northeastern and southwestern Oregon, as well as generates electricity in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana.