Brokerages Set Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) Price Target at $39.75

Shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AVA shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $431,150.58. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avista

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Avista by 90.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Bayban bought a new position in Avista in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Avista in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Avista during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Avista by 619.5% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Avista Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AVA opened at $40.93 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $41.10 and its 200-day moving average is $40.63. 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 has a 1-year low of $35.50 and a 1-year high of $43.50.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last announced its earnings results 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 company 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%. Avista’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Avista will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.49%.

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.