Magellan Asset Management Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Avista Corporation $AVA

Magellan Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 29.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,143 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,374 shares during the quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 0.09% of Avista worth $2,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AVA. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Avista by 90.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Bayban purchased a new position in shares of Avista in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Avista in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Avista during the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Avista by 619.5% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on AVA. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Avista Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of AVA opened at $41.53 on Wednesday. Avista Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.50 and a fifty-two week high of $43.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.26 and a 200 day moving average of $40.84. The firm has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.90.

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

Avista Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.49%.

Avista Company Profile

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.