Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Raises Stock Position in Avista Corporation $AVA

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its holdings in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 83.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 137,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 62,438 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC’s holdings in Avista were worth $5,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Bayban bought a new stake in Avista during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Avista during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Avista during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Avista by 619.5% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 target price on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.

Insider Activity at Avista

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Avista Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE AVA opened at $39.62 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.78, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.25. Avista Corporation has a 12 month low of $35.50 and a 12 month high of $43.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $41.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.00. 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 (NYSE:AVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $413.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $426.93 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.17 EPS. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

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

Avista News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Avista this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Avista reported second-quarter GAAP earnings of $0.43 per diluted share, up from $0.17 a year earlier and well above the $0.23 consensus estimate. Net income more than doubled to $35 million from $14 million, while first-half earnings rose to $1.54 per share from $1.15. Avista Q2 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed 2026 non-GAAP utility earnings guidance of $2.52 to $2.72 per share, citing disciplined cost control, operational execution and favorable rate-case impacts. The company continues to plan approximately $615 million in 2026 utility capital expenditures. Avista Q2 Results and Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings improvement was driven substantially by gains at Avista’s non-regulated investment businesses, which recovered from losses in 2025. Core utility earnings per share were unchanged year over year at $0.29 in the quarter, making the quality and sustainability of the earnings beat an investor focus.
• Negative Sentiment: The updated full-year EPS range of $2.52 to $2.72 is broad and includes a low end below the $2.60 analyst consensus. Avista also expects investment-related volatility and cannot provide comparable GAAP earnings guidance. Avista Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple wildfires in the Spokane, Washington area reportedly caused extensive damage to Avista’s power grid and service disruptions. Potential repair costs, outages, regulatory scrutiny or liability could pressure near-term cash flow and sentiment. Avista Reports Wildfire Damage
• Negative Sentiment: Year-to-date electric and natural-gas revenues declined because of lower wholesale activity, regulatory adjustments and the departure of a large industrial customer. The company is also evaluating up to $100 million of additional short-term liquidity needs.

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.