Renaissance Technologies LLC Trims Stake in Avista Corporation $AVA

Renaissance Technologies LLC lessened its stake in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 31.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 147,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 68,900 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $5,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Avista Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of AVA stock opened at $38.83 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.25. Avista Corporation 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 1.08, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $41.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.98.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.20. Avista had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 7.85%. The firm had revenue of $413.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $426.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.17 earnings per share. Avista’s revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.58 EPS for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 18th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AVA. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Avista from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Avista currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.25.

Avista 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.