Avista (NYSE:AVA) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Avista shares rose above their 200-day moving average during Monday trading, briefly reaching $42.44 before last trading near $41.70. The move comes as the stock trades near both its 50-day and 200-day averages.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious overall, with one Buy and six Hold ratings and a consensus target price of $40.00. Recent reports included target increases from Mizuho and Barclays, but the average view is still “Hold.”
• Avista’s latest earnings beat expectations at $1.10 EPS, though revenue missed estimates and fell 8% year over year. The company also pays a 4.7% dividend yield, with a quarterly payout of $0.4925 per share.

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $40.82 and traded as high as $42.44. Avista shares last traded at $41.6950, with a volume of 424,851 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho increased their price target on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Avista in a report on Monday, June 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Avista currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Avista Trading Down 0.3%

The stock has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.82. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.06. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $643.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Avista's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of Avista stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Bayban bought a new position in shares of Avista in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Avista during the third quarter worth $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased 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. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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