Sound Income Strategies LLC Has $11.97 Million Position in Avista Corporation $AVA

Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 60.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 294,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 110,454 shares during the quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC owned 0.36% of Avista worth $11,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Avista by 5.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,741,000 after buying an additional 3,296 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Avista by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 69,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,924,000 after buying an additional 6,967 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in Avista during the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Avista by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 283,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,857,000 after acquiring an additional 58,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Avista during the 1st quarter worth approximately $134,000. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Avista

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Avista Stock Performance

NYSE:AVA opened at $41.34 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.56. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.50 and a fifty-two week high of $43.50.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. Avista’s payout ratio is presently 78.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday. Mizuho boosted their price objective 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on Avista from $42.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.75.

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.