Sound Income Strategies LLC Acquires 110,454 Shares of Avista Corporation $AVA

Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 60.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 294,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 110,454 shares during the quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $11,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Avista by 100.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 343,989 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,257,000 after acquiring an additional 172,330 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP bought a new position in Avista during the third quarter worth $7,014,000. Nuance Investments LLC grew its holdings in Avista by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 319,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,295,000 after purchasing an additional 30,817 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in Avista by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 458,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,663,000 after purchasing an additional 37,800 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Avista in the fourth quarter valued at $1,146,000. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Avista

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of Avista stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Avista Stock Performance

AVA opened at $41.34 on Friday. Avista Corporation has a 1-year low of $35.50 and a 1-year high of $43.50. The company has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.47, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.25. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $41.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

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

Avista Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AVA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Monday. Mizuho raised their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Avista from $42.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avista has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.75.

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.