KeyCorp Weighs in on Avista's FY2026 Earnings (NYSE:AVA)

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) - Analysts at KeyCorp increased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Avista in a note issued to investors on Monday, October 12th. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings of $2.66 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $2.59. The consensus estimate for Avista's current full-year earnings is $2.56 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Avista's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.68 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on AVA. Barclays decreased their price target on Avista from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Avista from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to MarketBeat.com, Avista presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.75.

Avista Stock Performance

NYSE:AVA opened at $36.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $36.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.67. The company has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.10. Avista has a fifty-two week low of $34.46 and a fifty-two week high of $43.50.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.20. Avista had a return on equity of 7.85% and a net margin of 11.83%. The business had revenue of $413.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $426.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.17 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avista

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the 2nd quarter worth $605,448,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Avista by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,516,163 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $60,860,000 after buying an additional 4,958 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Avista in the second quarter valued at about $37,919,000. Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avista by 15.8% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 739,725 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,262,000 after acquiring an additional 100,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in Avista by 8.4% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 549,732 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $22,066,000 after buying an additional 42,428 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Avista

In related news, VP Joshua Diluciano sold 4,675 shares of Avista stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.24, for a total value of $174,097.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at $310,358.16. This trade represents a 35.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 18th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.4%. Avista's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.12%.

About Avista

Avista Corporation is an energy company headquartered in Spokane, Washington. Through its Avista Utilities subsidiary, the company generates, transmits and distributes electricity and provides natural gas service to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Avista Utilities serves communities in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, with natural gas operations also extending into parts of Oregon. The company's energy portfolio includes hydroelectric, thermal and renewable generation resources, supported by transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Avista also operates Alaska Electric Light & Power Company, which provides electric service to customers in Juneau, Alaska.

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