Avista (NYSE:AVA) VP Sells $22,089.00 in Stock

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) VP Alexis Alexander sold 555 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.80, for a total value of $22,089.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,414. The trade was a 12.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Avista Stock Up 1.4%

Avista stock traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $39.84. The company had a trading volume of 258,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 668,976. The stock has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Avista Corporation has a 1 year low of $35.50 and a 1 year high of $43.50. The business has a fifty day moving average of $40.63 and a 200 day moving average of $39.15.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last posted its earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. Avista had a net margin of 9.83% and a return on equity of 7.29%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 paid a $0.4925 dividend. This is an increase from Avista’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVA has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barclays initiated coverage on Avista in a report on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Avista from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Avista by 359.4% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,282,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,362 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Avista during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,674,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Avista by 52.7% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,110,711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $80,101,000 after purchasing an additional 728,543 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Avista by 105.1% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,137,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,829,000 after purchasing an additional 582,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Avista by 37,219.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 541,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,855,000 after buying an additional 539,686 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

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.