Avista (NYSE:AVA) Announces Earnings Results

Key Points

• Avista reported quarterly EPS of $1.10, beating estimates by $0.06 while revenue fell 8% year-over-year, and updated FY2026 guidance to 2.520–2.720 EPS.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.4925 (annualized $1.97), implying a ~4.9% yield with a payout ratio around 82.8%.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. Avista had a net margin of 9.83% and a return on equity of 7.29%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. Avista updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.520-2.720 EPS.

Avista Price Performance

NYSE:AVA traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $40.61. The company had a trading volume of 44,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 618,218. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $40.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.13. Avista has a one year low of $35.50 and a one year high of $43.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Avista Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were paid a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This is a positive change from Avista's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Avista's dividend payout ratio is 82.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In related news, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.18, for a total transaction of $71,038.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,401 shares in the company, valued at $337,552.18. This represents a 17.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.78% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in 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 period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Avista during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista in the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $55,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AVA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Avista from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Avista from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.25.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.