Avista Corporation $AVA Shares Sold by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 85.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,722 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 16,013 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Avista in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Avista by 619.5% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avista Stock Up 1.5%

AVA opened at $41.26 on Wednesday. Avista Corporation has a 12 month low of $35.50 and a 12 month high of $43.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.25.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.06. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business had revenue of $570.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.55 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. The company’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. On average, research analysts expect that Avista Corporation 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a $0.4925 dividend. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s payout ratio is currently 78.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on AVA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

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.