Avista (NYSE:AVA) VP Joshua Diluciano Sells 4,675 Shares

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVAGet Free Report) VP Joshua Diluciano sold 4,675 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.24, for a total value of $174,097.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $310,358.16. This represents a 35.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Avista Stock Performance

Shares of AVA opened at $37.23 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.57. The firm has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.25. Avista Corporation has a 12-month low of $35.50 and a 12-month high of $43.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Avista (NYSE:AVAGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.20. Avista had a return on equity of 7.85% and a net margin of 11.83%.The company had revenue of $413.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $426.93 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Avista Corporation will post 2.57 EPS for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be issued a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 18th. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in shares of Avista by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 10,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC increased its stake in Avista by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Avista by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Avista by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Avista by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 18,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $718,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVA has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Avista from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report 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, Avista currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.25.

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Avista Company Profile

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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.

Further Reading

Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Avista (NYSE:AVA)

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