Alexis Alexander Sells 555 Shares of Avista (NYSE:AVA) Stock

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) VP Alexis Alexander sold 555 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.80, for a total transaction of $22,089.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $156,414. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Avista Price Performance

AVA traded up $0.55 on Friday, reaching $39.84. 258,418 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 668,976. The stock has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 16.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Avista Corporation has a twelve month low of $35.50 and a twelve month high of $43.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $40.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.15.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter. Avista had a net margin of 9.83% and a return on equity of 7.29%. Sell-side analysts expect that Avista Corporation will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Avista Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. This is a boost from Avista’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Avista’s payout ratio is presently 82.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Avista from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Avista in a research report on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Avista by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Bayban purchased a new stake in shares of Avista during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Avista in the third quarter valued at $43,000. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.