Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA – Free Report) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 549,732 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,428 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned 0.67% of Avista worth $22,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Avista by 105.1% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,137,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,829,000 after purchasing an additional 582,742 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Avista by 37,219.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 541,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,855,000 after acquiring an additional 539,686 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in Avista by 1,723.9% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 442,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,728,000 after acquiring an additional 418,170 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Avista by 8.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,191,896 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $197,032,000 after purchasing an additional 398,446 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Avista in the 4th quarter valued at $13,533,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.24% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research raised Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday. 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.
Insider Activity at Avista
In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.
Avista Trading Down 0.4%
NYSE:AVA opened at $42.02 on Friday. Avista Corporation has a 12 month low of $35.50 and a 12 month high of $43.50. The business’s 50-day moving average is $41.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.25.
Avista (NYSE:AVA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The company had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.55 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Research analysts predict that Avista Corporation will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Avista Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.49%.
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.
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