Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 94,554 Shares of Avista Corporation $AVA

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 16.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 491,669 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 94,554 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Avista were worth $19,736,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Avista by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 10,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Avista by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Avista by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Avista by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its position in Avista by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 18,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $718,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In related 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on AVA. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Avista Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AVA opened at $41.53 on Wednesday. Avista Corporation has a 52-week low of $35.50 and a 52-week high of $43.50. The company has a market capitalization 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 50-day simple moving average of $41.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.84. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.55 million. Avista had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 10.75%.Avista’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s payout ratio is currently 78.49%.

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.