Hsbc Holdings PLC Purchases 36,866 Shares of Avista Corporation $AVA

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 184.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,881 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 36,866 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.07% of Avista worth $2,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVA. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Avista by 90.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Bayban acquired a new position in shares of Avista in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Avista during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Avista in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Avista Stock Performance

Shares of Avista stock opened at $41.32 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.24. Avista Corporation has a twelve month low of $35.50 and a twelve month high of $43.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $41.09 and its 200 day moving average is $40.51. 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 announced 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 return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 10.75%.The business had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.55 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. Avista’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a $0.4925 dividend. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

Insider Activity at Avista

In related news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at $431,150.58. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho raised their price target on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.75.

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.