Avista (NYSE:AVA) Issues Earnings Results

Posted by Geri Gentry on May 5th, 2026

Avista (NYSE:AVA – Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. Avista had a return on equity of 7.29% and a net margin of 9.83%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. Avista updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.520-2.720 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Avista’s conference call:

Avista reported Q1 2026 consolidated EPS of $1.11 and non-GAAP utility earnings of $1.10 per share (vs. $0.98 / $1.01 a year ago) and reaffirmed 2026 non-GAAP utility guidance of $2.52–$2.72, which includes a $0.10 ERM headwind.
Management expects 2026 utility capital spending of $615 million and $3.4 billion from 2026–2030 (with up to $350 million incremental for a new large-load integration) and plans to issue $230 million of long-term debt and up to $90 million of common stock in 2026.
Avista is negotiating with a prospective data center customer for up to 500 megawatts of incremental load and is targeting a signed memorandum of understanding by May 31, representing a potentially material growth opportunity.
The company emphasized grid hardening and wildfire-resilience investments—vegetation management, predictive weather tools and material pre-staging—helped speed restoration after a March wind event that affected ~60,000 customers.
Regulatory risk remains: Avista’s four-year Washington general rate case has a settlement conference on May 22 and the outcome is uncertain, which could materially affect rates, recovery mechanisms and allowed returns despite proposed off-ramps and new deferral mechanisms.

Avista Stock Up 1.4%

Avista stock traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $41.11. The company had a trading volume of 120,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 619,047. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $40.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.13. Avista has a 12 month low of $35.50 and a 12 month high of $43.50. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.24.

Avista Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were issued a $0.4925 dividend. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. This is a positive change from Avista’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Avista news, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total value of $71,038.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $337,552.18. The trade was a 17.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Avista by 32.6% during the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 9,089 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 2,235 shares in the last quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter valued at $340,000. Odyssean LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter valued at $328,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in shares of Avista during the third quarter valued at $325,000. Finally, Jain Global LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter valued at $302,000. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Barclays increased their price objective on Avista from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Avista from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.25.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Avista

Avista Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.