UBS Group AG Acquires 36,123 Shares of Avista Corporation $AVA

UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 440,055 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,123 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Avista were worth $16,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Avista during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Avista during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Avista by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 47.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 998 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Avista in the 1st quarter worth $134,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Avista Price Performance

NYSE:AVA opened at $40.79 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $40.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.22. The firm has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.90. Avista Corporation has a one year low of $35.50 and a one year high of $43.50.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) 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 $555.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Research analysts expect that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AVA shares. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Zacks Research cut shares of Avista from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Insider Activity at Avista

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total transaction of $71,038.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,401 shares in the company, valued at $337,552.18. This trade represents a 17.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,916 shares of company stock valued at $158,408. Insiders own 0.78% 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.