Gabelli Funds LLC Increases Stake in Avista Corporation $AVA

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 3.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 472,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,022 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $18,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Avista by 90.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Bayban purchased a new position in shares of Avista during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avista in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avista in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Avista by 619.5% in the 4th 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Avista Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AVA opened at $42.02 on Friday. Avista Corporation has a 1 year low of $35.50 and a 1 year high of $43.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.25. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $41.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.90.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $570.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.55 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on AVA shares. Mizuho raised 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.