Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) Stock Position Lifted by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 224,678 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,415 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.28% of Avista worth $8,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AVA. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Avista by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,253,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,908,000 after buying an additional 24,981 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Avista by 44.0% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 480,744 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $17,610,000 after purchasing an additional 147,007 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,260,857 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $375,855,000 after acquiring an additional 327,535 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Avista in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $561,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,007,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.24% of the company's stock.

Avista Trading Down 2.6%

AVA traded down $0.99 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $37.30. 388,581 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 606,248. Avista Co. has a 1-year low of $33.45 and a 1-year high of $43.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $40.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.05 by ($0.07). Avista had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 10.24%. The company had revenue of $603.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $636.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Avista Co. will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. Avista's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.76%.

Insider Activity at Avista

In other Avista news, VP Scott J. Kinney sold 2,298 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.75, for a total transaction of $89,047.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $485,886.25. This represents a 15.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Avista Profile

Avista Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company. It operates in two segments, Avista Utilities and AEL&P. The Avista Utilities segment provides electric distribution and transmission, and natural gas distribution services in parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho; and natural gas distribution services in parts of northeastern and southwestern Oregon, as well as generates electricity in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana.