Aigen Investment Management LP Buys New Shares in Avista Corporation $AVA

Key Points

• Aigen Investment Management disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Avista, buying 40,871 shares worth about $1.58 million; institutional investors now own a large majority of the utility, at 85.24% of shares.
• Insider selling and analyst caution were also highlighted: SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares, while recent analyst actions were mostly neutral, with consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $40.50.
• Avista reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.10 per share for the quarter, though revenue missed estimates; the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.4925 per share, implying a 4.6% annualized yield.

Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 40,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,575,000. Aigen Investment Management LP owned about 0.05% of Avista as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AVA. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Avista by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Avista by 619.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Avista by 171.3% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,747 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Avista from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded 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 Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Avista from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.50.

Avista Trading Up 1.1%

Avista stock opened at $42.48 on Friday. Avista Corporation has a 52 week low of $35.50 and a 52 week high of $43.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.92, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.46.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) 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. Avista had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 10.75%.The business had revenue of $570.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $643.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. Avista's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Analysts expect that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. 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.

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