Avista (NYSE:AVA – Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $555.00 million for 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 revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Avista updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.520-2.720 EPS.
Here are the key takeaways from Avista’s conference call:
- Avista reported Q1 2026 consolidated EPS of $1.11 and non-GAAP utility earnings of $1.10 per share (vs. $0.98 / $1.01 a year ago) and reaffirmed 2026 non-GAAP utility guidance of $2.52–$2.72, which includes a $0.10 ERM headwind.
- Management expects 2026 utility capital spending of $615 million and $3.4 billion from 2026–2030 (with up to $350 million incremental for a new large-load integration) and plans to issue $230 million of long-term debt and up to $90 million of common stock in 2026.
- Avista is negotiating with a prospective data center customer for up to 500 megawatts of incremental load and is targeting a signed memorandum of understanding by May 31, representing a potentially material growth opportunity.
- The company emphasized grid hardening and wildfire-resilience investments—vegetation management, predictive weather tools and material pre-staging—helped speed restoration after a March wind event that affected ~60,000 customers.
- Regulatory risk remains: Avista’s four-year Washington general rate case has a settlement conference on May 22 and the outcome is uncertain, which could materially affect rates, recovery mechanisms and allowed returns despite proposed off-ramps and new deferral mechanisms.
Avista Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE AVA traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $41.22. 128,004 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 617,028. Avista has a 1 year low of $35.50 and a 1 year high of $43.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $40.48 and a 200 day moving average of $40.17.
Avista Dividend Announcement
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Zacks Research cut shares of Avista from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Mizuho boosted their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Avista currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.
View Our Latest Research Report on AVA
Insider Activity at Avista
In other news, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $337,552.18. This represents a 17.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.78% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avista
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,239 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Avista in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.
More Avista News
Here are the key news stories impacting Avista this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Avista reported Q1 EPS of about $1.10, beating consensus (~$1.04) which supports near?term confidence in profitability. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.4925/share (annualized $1.97) implying a ~4.9% yield; ex?dividend May 19 and payable June 12 — a bullish signal for income investors. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $42 (neutral rating), signaling modest upside versus recent levels and backing a portion of the buying interest. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Avista set FY2026 EPS guidance of $2.520–$2.720, roughly in line with sell?side expectations (~$2.59), which reduces forecast uncertainty but offers limited upside surprise potential.
- Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume is light versus average and the stock sits near its 50? and 200?day moving averages, suggesting limited technical momentum in either direction.
- Negative Sentiment: Barclays trimmed its price target to $40 from $41 and kept an equal?weight rating, implying slight downside and indicating some analyst caution. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Q1 revenue came in below consensus (reported ~$555M vs. higher estimates), highlighting demand/volume weakness that offsets the EPS beat and may pressure valuation if trends persist.
- Negative Sentiment: Avista’s 2025 Form 10?K added a new regulatory risk disclosure, underscoring ongoing exposure to regulatory outcomes that can affect utility earnings and rate cases over time. Article Title
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.
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