ProShare Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in Avista Corporation $AVA

ProShare Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 168,791 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 15,029 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $6,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVA. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Avista during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Avista during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Avista by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 731 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Avista by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Avista during the 4th quarter worth about $92,000. 85.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avista Stock Up 1.3%

Avista stock opened at $41.47 on Friday. Avista Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.50 and a fifty-two week high of $43.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.34.

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

Avista Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their price target on Avista from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research downgraded Avista from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Insider Activity at Avista

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $431,150.58. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the company’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 value of $71,038.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $337,552.18. This represents a 17.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,916 shares of company stock valued at $158,408. 0.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Avista 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.