Avista (NYSE:AVA) Price Target Raised to $40.00 at Barclays

Avista (NYSE:AVA) had its price objective lifted by Barclays from $39.00 to $40.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

AVA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Avista Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:AVA opened at $41.53 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $41.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Avista has a 12-month low of $35.50 and a 12-month high of $43.50. The firm has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.25.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The company had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Avista will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s payout ratio is 78.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total transaction of $65,281.14. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVA. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Avista by 359.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,282,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,492,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,362 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Avista by 105.1% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,137,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,829,000 after acquiring an additional 582,742 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Avista by 37,219.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 541,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,855,000 after purchasing an additional 539,686 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in Avista by 1,723.9% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 442,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,728,000 after purchasing an additional 418,170 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Avista by 8.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,191,896 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $197,032,000 after purchasing an additional 398,446 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.24% 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.