Hsbc Holdings PLC Purchases 36,866 Shares of Avista Corporation $AVA

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC sharply increased its stake in Avista, buying 36,866 more shares in the fourth quarter and lifting its holdings by 184.2% to 56,881 shares, worth about $2.19 million.
• Avista continues to draw heavy institutional ownership, with firms like Vanguard, State Street, and Morgan Stanley also adding shares; overall, 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutions.
• Analysts currently view Avista cautiously, with an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40, while the stock recently traded at $41.85 and the company also pays a quarterly dividend yielding about 4.7%.

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) by 184.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 56,881 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 36,866 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.07% of Avista worth $2,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Avista by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,933,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $421,382,000 after acquiring an additional 98,220 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Avista by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,305,266 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $204,465,000 after purchasing an additional 45,696 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Avista by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,985,944 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $76,550,000 after purchasing an additional 7,793 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Avista by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,807,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $69,657,000 after purchasing an additional 257,834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Avista by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,511,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $58,243,000 after purchasing an additional 4,506 shares during the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on Avista from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.00.

Avista Price Performance

AVA stock traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $41.85. 420,751 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 810,535. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Avista Corporation has a 1-year low of $35.50 and a 1-year high of $43.50. The company has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.25.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. The firm'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. On average, analysts anticipate that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Avista

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.78% of the company's stock.

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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