Nuance Investments LLC Has $10.90 Million Position in Avista Corporation $AVA

Nuance Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 50.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 288,203 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,532 shares during the quarter. Avista comprises 1.1% of Nuance Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $10,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Avista during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Avista by 54.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 51.7% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AVA shares. Mizuho set a $42.00 price target on Avista in a report on Thursday, November 6th. 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 report on Tuesday, January 20th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Avista in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Avista presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.33.

Avista Trading Down 2.1%

AVA stock opened at $41.51 on Monday. Avista Corporation has a 52 week low of $35.50 and a 52 week high of $43.09. The company has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Avista Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In related news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,785 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $382,867.42. The trade was a 15.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.94% 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.