Short Interest in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) Decreases By 22.0%

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,897,441 shares, a decrease of 22.0% from the December 15th total of 3,714,358 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 858,066 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 3.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 3.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 858,066 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,785 shares of Avista stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.74, for a total value of $69,150.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,883 shares in the company, valued at $382,867.42. The trade was a 15.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVA. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Avista by 2.0% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,042 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Avista by 0.6% in the second quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 49,613 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,883,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Avista by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 8,226 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in Avista by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 85,589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,236,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Avista by 54.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AVA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Avista from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho set a $42.00 target price on shares of Avista in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Avista from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Avista Stock Performance

NYSE AVA traded down $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $40.08. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 482,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 577,221. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $39.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.22. Avista has a twelve month low of $35.47 and a twelve month high of $43.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $3.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.30.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.09. Avista had a return on equity of 7.18% and a net margin of 9.62%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. Avista has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Avista will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.40%.

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.