Insider Selling: Avista (NYSE:AVA) SVP Sells $71,038.24 in Stock

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of Avista stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total value of $71,038.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $337,552.18. This represents a 17.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Avista Trading Down 2.0%

AVA stock traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $39.81. 1,415,290 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 667,098. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.28. Avista Corporation has a 52-week low of $35.50 and a 52-week high of $43.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.33 and a 200-day moving average of $38.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of ($87.00) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $541.10 million. Avista had a net margin of 9.62% and a return on equity of 7.18%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.84 EPS. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Avista Corporation will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. This is an increase from Avista’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Avista’s payout ratio is currently 83.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Avista from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avista from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Avista currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.33.

Key Stories Impacting Avista

Here are the key news stories impacting Avista this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Full‑year operating performance improved: GAAP net income rose to $193M and non‑GAAP utility earnings increased to $207M, driven by rate case outcomes, customer/load growth and cost discipline. Avista 2025 Results & 2026 Guidance (GlobeNewswire)
• Positive Sentiment: Management emphasizes utility strength and constructive regulatory outcomes that support steady utility earnings growth over the long term. Quiver AI summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Avista initiated 2026 non‑GAAP utility earnings guidance of $2.52–$2.72 per share (company guidance provides a planning baseline for investors). Press release — guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital plan and liquidity: Avista expects elevated utility capex (base $585M in 2026, rising later years) and plans ~$230M of long‑term debt and up to $90M of equity issuance in 2026 — supports growth but raises funding/execute risk. Capex & financing details
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 miss: Avista reported Q4 EPS of $0.88 vs. consensus ~$1.01 and revenue shortfalls vs. estimates — an immediate catalyst for the price decline. Earnings snapshot (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance & customer headwind: The 2026 guidance midpoint is below sell‑side consensus (company guidance 2.52–2.72 vs. consensus ~2.76) after a large industrial customer said it will resume procuring power independently earlier than expected (a ~$0.12 EPS headwind). Guidance detail (GlobeNewswire)
• Negative Sentiment: Non‑regulated and regulatory drag: Losses in non‑regulated businesses (notably clean‑tech investments) widened and a late‑Dec Washington order tied to Colstrip led to refunds/adjustments — both items pressure GAAP volatility. Quiver — non‑regulated losses & Colstrip note
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares (reducing his stake ~17%), a small but visible insider sale disclosed in an SEC filing. SEC filing — insider sale

Institutional Trading of Avista

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Avista by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Avista during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Avista by 54.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avista in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Avista during the third quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.