Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

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

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Avista from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st.

Avista Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of AVA opened at $40.93 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.31, a PEG ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.90. Avista has a fifty-two week low of $35.50 and a fifty-two week high of $43.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $40.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.34.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.55 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total transaction 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 represents a 17.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the company’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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 3,916 shares of company stock valued at $158,408 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avista

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cim Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Avista in the 1st quarter worth approximately $246,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Avista by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 412,866 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,572,000 after acquiring an additional 12,265 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Avista by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Avista by 24.0% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 95,327 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,826,000 after acquiring an additional 18,434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Avista by 205.4% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 73,821 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,963,000 after acquiring an additional 49,648 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.