Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.75.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AVA. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd.

Avista Stock Performance

NYSE AVA opened at $39.37 on Thursday. Avista has a 1 year low of $35.50 and a 1 year high of $43.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.44.

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

Avista Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVA. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Avista by 359.4% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,282,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,492,000 after buying an additional 1,003,362 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Avista by 105.1% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,137,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,829,000 after buying an additional 582,742 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Avista by 37,219.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 541,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,855,000 after purchasing an additional 539,686 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its position in Avista by 1,723.9% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 442,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,728,000 after purchasing an additional 418,170 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Avista by 8.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,191,896 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $197,032,000 after purchasing an additional 398,446 shares during the period. 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.