Avista (NYSE:AVA) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $38.14 and traded as high as $39.58. Avista shares last traded at $39.18, with a volume of 464,255 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Avista to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Avista in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Avista from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $42.00 target price on Avista in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.33.

Avista Trading Up 0.6%

The company has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.91. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $39.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.14.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.09. Avista had a net margin of 9.62% and a return on equity of 7.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. Avista has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. Avista’s payout ratio is presently 83.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,785 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.74, for a total value of $69,150.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $382,867.42. This represents a 15.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Avista

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVA. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Avista during the third quarter worth $26,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Avista in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Avista by 54.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Avista during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.