WINTON GROUP Ltd Invests $1.19 Million in Avista Corporation $AVA

Key Points

• Winton Group disclosed a new stake in Avista, buying 30,846 shares valued at about $1.19 million in the fourth quarter.
• Avista remains heavily held by institutions, with 85.24% of shares owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Insider activity was mixed, as SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares in May.
• Analysts currently rate Avista at Hold overall, with a consensus price target of $40.50. The company also reported quarterly EPS of $1.10, beating estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.4925 per share.

WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 30,846 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,189,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 3,296 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Avista by 11.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 69,831 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,924,000 after purchasing an additional 6,967 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of Avista in the first quarter worth about $201,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 58,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the 1st quarter worth about $134,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total value of $65,281.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Avista from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research raised Avista from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Avista from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded 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 and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Avista currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $40.50.

Avista Price Performance

NYSE:AVA opened at $42.02 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $41.14 and a 200-day moving average of $40.42. The company has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.24. 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.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $643.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be paid a $0.4925 dividend. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. Avista's dividend 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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