Avista (NYSE:AVA) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.20 EPS

Avista (NYSE:AVA) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The utilities provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.20, RTT News reports. The business had revenue of $413.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $426.93 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.17 earnings per share. Avista updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.520-2.720 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Avista’s conference call:

• Spokane wildfires caused significant infrastructure damage, with approximately 7,300 electric and 5,300 natural-gas customers still without service. The full extent and duration of distribution-system repairs remain uncertain, creating potential cost and operational risks.
• Avista said it is too early to determine wildfire cost recovery or insurance treatment; while a Washington securitization mechanism exists, management does not currently expect the event to be financially large enough to require it.
• Management said its wildfire-mitigation measures—including vegetation management, monitoring, operational changes, and public-safety power shutoffs—appear to have worked as intended, and crews repaired a key transmission line that reduced the risk of additional outages.
• Avista continues to pause negotiations on a potential 500-megawatt data-center project while regulators and stakeholders develop stronger customer protections. The company said it will proceed only if the project provides a net benefit, preserves reliability, and does not shift costs to existing customers.
• Management expects volatility in nonregulated investment results; a gain anticipated next quarter from an IPO-related investment would largely reverse at current share prices, although future fund exits could provide cash-flow benefits.

Avista Stock Down 0.8%

AVA stock traded down $0.30 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.25. 187,901 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 670,771. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $41.32 and its 200 day moving average is $41.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.25. 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 twelve month low of $35.50 and a twelve month high of $43.50.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is 78.49%.

Avista News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Avista this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings beat expectations. Avista reported GAAP EPS of $0.43, up from $0.17 a year earlier and above the $0.23 analyst consensus. Revenue was $413 million, while first-half net income increased to $127 million from $93 million. Avista earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year utility guidance was maintained. Management reaffirmed 2026 non-GAAP utility earnings guidance of $2.52 to $2.72 per diluted share, broadly centered around analyst expectations, citing operational execution and disciplined cost management. Avista Q2 financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital investment remains a potential long-term support. Avista Utilities spent $314 million on capital projects during the first half and expects $615 million in base capital expenditures for 2026, which could support regulated asset growth and future rate recovery.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported profit growth was partly investment-driven. Non-regulated businesses moved from a $12 million loss to $13 million of income in the first half, benefiting from investment gains. However, management noted that these gains are difficult to forecast, limiting the reliability of GAAP earnings as an indicator of ongoing utility performance.
• Neutral Sentiment: Core utility earnings were mixed. Year-to-date non-GAAP utility EPS improved to $1.38 from $1.30, but second-quarter utility EPS was unchanged at $0.29. Electric and natural-gas revenue also declined year-to-date, including from the departure of a large industrial customer.
• Negative Sentiment: Wildfires damaged the Spokane-area power grid and disrupted service. The event raises concerns about repair costs, operational interruptions and potential liability—risks that could pressure cash flow or future earnings if losses are not fully recovered through insurance or regulation. Avista wildfire damage report
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and liquidity risks remain. Avista is evaluating up to $100 million of additional short-term liquidity because of regulatory deferrals and delayed cost recovery. Its 2025 10-K risk disclosures also highlight potential regulatory, wildfire, financing and investment-related volatility. Avista risk disclosures

Insider Activity at Avista

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business’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 transaction of $65,281.14. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Avista by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Avista by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Avista by 0.5% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,363,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Avista by 0.5% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 78,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,987,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,797 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 605 shares during the period. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.25.

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.