Avista (NYSE:AVA) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $40.82 and traded as high as $42.44. Avista shares last traded at $41.6950, with a volume of 424,851 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AVA shares. Zacks Research raised Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.

Avista Trading Up 1.5%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.84. The company has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $570.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.55 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 EPS 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 dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.49%.

Insider Transactions at Avista

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVA. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Avista by 90.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Bayban bought a new stake in Avista in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Avista during the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Avista by 619.5% during the 4th 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 during the period. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avista Company 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.