Inceptionr LLC Raises Holdings in Avista Corporation $AVA

Inceptionr LLC increased its position in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 42.2% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,944 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,546 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Avista during the second quarter worth $34,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Avista by 54.8% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Avista in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 48.5% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Avista by 51.7% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the period. 85.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Avista

In other news, VP David J. Meyer sold 1,367 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.72, for a total transaction of $50,196.24. Following the sale, the vice president owned 8,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $308,227.68. This represents a 14.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan Alden Cox bought 3,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $35.55 per share, with a total value of $130,504.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president owned 9,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $355,108.95. This trade represents a 58.10% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Avista Price Performance

Avista stock opened at $41.38 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.00. Avista Corporation has a 1 year low of $34.80 and a 1 year high of $43.09. The company has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.39.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.09. Avista had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 9.13%.During the same period last year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Avista has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Avista Corporation will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is 83.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Avista to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Mizuho set a $42.00 price target on Avista in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Avista from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.33.

About Avista

Avista Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company. It operates in two segments, Avista Utilities and AEL&P. The Avista Utilities segment provides electric distribution and transmission, and natural gas distribution services in parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho; and natural gas distribution services in parts of northeastern and southwestern Oregon, as well as generates electricity in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana.