Avista (NYSE:AVA) VP Sells 4,675 Shares of Stock

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) VP Joshua Diluciano sold 4,675 shares of Avista stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.24, for a total transaction of $174,097.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 8,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $310,358.16. This trade represents a 35.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Avista Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AVA traded down $0.41 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $37.23. The company had a trading volume of 288,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 670,118. Avista Corporation has a 52 week low of $35.50 and a 52 week high of $43.50. The business’s 50-day moving average is $40.08 and its 200 day moving average is $40.61. The company has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.43, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $413.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $426.93 million. Avista had a return on equity of 7.85% and a net margin of 11.83%.The company’s revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.17 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Avista Corporation will post 2.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 18th. Avista’s payout ratio is presently 71.12%.

Institutional Trading of Avista

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Avista by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,741,000 after buying an additional 3,296 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Avista by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 69,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,924,000 after buying an additional 6,967 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of Avista during the 1st quarter valued at $201,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Avista by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 283,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,857,000 after acquiring an additional 58,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Avista during the 1st quarter valued at $134,000. 85.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AVA shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Mizuho increased their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Avista from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Avista presently has a consensus 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.