Avista (NYSE:AVA) SVP Bryan Alden Cox Sells 1,768 Shares of Stock

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total transaction of $71,038.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,401 shares in the company, valued at $337,552.18. The trade was a 17.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Avista Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVA opened at $40.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.78, a PEG ratio of 2.11 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 0.60. Avista Corporation has a 12 month low of $35.50 and a 12 month high of $43.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $40.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.97.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.13). Avista had a net margin of 9.83% and a return on equity of 7.29%. The business had revenue of ($87.00) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $541.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Avista Corporation will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. This is a positive change from Avista’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.83%.

Institutional Trading of Avista

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Avista by 5.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,741,000 after buying an additional 3,296 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Avista by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 69,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,924,000 after acquiring an additional 6,967 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in Avista in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $201,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Avista by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 283,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,857,000 after acquiring an additional 58,504 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Avista during the 1st quarter worth approximately $134,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AVA. Mizuho set a $42.00 price target on Avista in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Avista from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avista has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.33.

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.