Hsbc Holdings PLC Purchases 36,866 Shares of Avista Corporation $AVA

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 184.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 56,881 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 36,866 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $2,190,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVA. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Avista by 5.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,741,000 after purchasing an additional 3,296 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings 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 position in Avista in the first quarter valued at approximately $201,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Avista by 26.0% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Avista during the first quarter worth $134,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $431,150.58. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Monday, June 29th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

Avista Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVA traded up $0.70 on Friday, reaching $41.85. 420,751 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 810,535. Avista Corporation has a twelve month low of $35.50 and a twelve month high of $43.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $41.12 and a 200-day moving average of $40.66. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.06. Avista had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 10.75%.The business had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.49%.

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.