Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) Receives $39.75 Consensus PT from Brokerages

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

AVA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Mizuho increased their price target on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st.

Avista Stock Up 1.7%

NYSE AVA traded up $0.70 on Monday, reaching $41.85. The company had a trading volume of 420,751 shares, compared to its average volume of 810,535. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.25. Avista has a 1 year low of $35.50 and a 1 year high of $43.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $41.12 and a 200-day moving average of $40.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $570.00 million for 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Avista will post 2.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the firm’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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Avista in the second quarter valued at about $1,631,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Avista by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 30,273 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,215,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 83.5% in the 1st quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 137,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,508,000 after acquiring an additional 62,438 shares during the last quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Avista during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Avista by 3.1% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 412,866 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,572,000 after purchasing an additional 12,265 shares during the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.