Avista (NYSE:AVA) Price Target Cut to $39.00 by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Avista (NYSE:AVA) had its price target lowered by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $41.00 to $39.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential downside of 3.45% from the company’s previous close.

AVA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho set a $42.00 price target on shares of Avista in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Avista from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Avista currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.33.

Avista Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:AVA traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $40.39. 240,923 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 573,997. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a PE ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.30. The business’s 50 day moving average is $39.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.32. Avista has a one year low of $35.50 and a one year high of $43.09.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Avista will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Avista

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,785 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.74, for a total transaction of $69,150.90. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $382,867.42. The trade was a 15.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVA. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Avista by 359.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,282,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,362 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Avista during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,674,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in Avista by 52.7% in the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,110,711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $80,101,000 after acquiring an additional 728,543 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 418,170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Avista by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,191,896 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $197,032,000 after acquiring an additional 398,446 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

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.