Sterling Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Avista Corporation $AVA

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 85.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,722 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 16,013 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AVA. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Avista during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,449,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC grew its stake in shares of Avista by 9.4% in the first quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 12,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $495,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Avista by 184.2% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 56,881 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,190,000 after acquiring an additional 36,866 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Avista in the fourth quarter worth $282,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the fourth quarter valued at $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Avista Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of Avista stock opened at $41.26 on Wednesday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $41.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.61. The stock has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.25. Avista Corporation has a 12-month low of $35.50 and a 12-month high of $43.50.

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

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is 78.49%.

Insider Transactions at Avista

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of Avista 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.78% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on AVA. Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Monday, June 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Avista presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

About Avista

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.