36,100 Shares in Avista Corporation $AVA Bought by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 36,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,449,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Avista by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Bayban purchased a new stake in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Avista during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Avista during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Avista by 619.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the period. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.75.

Avista Price Performance

NYSE:AVA opened at $41.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $41.08 and its 200 day moving average is $40.56.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.55 million. Avista had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 10.75%.The firm’s revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.49%.

Insider Activity at Avista

In related news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

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.