Avista Corporation $AVA Holdings Increased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. dramatically increased its Avista stake in the fourth quarter, boosting holdings by 37,219.7% to 541,136 shares worth about $20.9 million.
• Avista reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.10 per share, though revenue came in below estimates at $570 million and was down 8% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.4925 per share, implying an annualized yield of 4.8%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $40 price target.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) by 37,219.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 541,136 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 539,686 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 0.67% of Avista worth $20,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AVA. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Avista by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,494 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,741,000 after buying an additional 3,296 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Avista by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 69,831 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,924,000 after buying an additional 6,967 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Avista during the 1st quarter worth about $201,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Avista by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 283,182 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $11,857,000 after buying an additional 58,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Avista during the 1st quarter worth about $134,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan Alden Cox sold 1,768 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 8,401 shares in the company, valued at $337,552.18. The trade was a 17.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 3,916 shares of company stock worth $158,408 over the last ninety days. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Avista from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avista presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $40.00.

Avista Stock Performance

Avista stock opened at $40.90 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $40.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.30. The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Avista Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.50 and a fifty-two week high of $43.50.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $570.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.55 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. Avista's payout ratio is presently 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AVA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Free Report).

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.