Insider Selling: Avista (NYSE:AVA) SVP Sells 1,593 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: SVP Wayne Manuel sold 1,593 shares at an average price of $40.98 for ~$65,281, reducing his stake by 13.15% to 10,521 shares (valued around $431,150), per an SEC filing.
• Mixed Q1 results and guidance: Avista reported Q1 EPS of $1.10, beating the $1.04 consensus but with revenue down 8% to $555M versus ~$643.6M expected; the company set FY2026 guidance of 2.520–2.720 EPS (analysts project ~2.59).
• Income appeal but neutral sentiment: The board declared a $0.4925 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.97, ~4.8% yield) while the stock trades near $41 and carries a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $40 and ~85% institutional ownership.

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) SVP Wayne Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Avista Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of AVA stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Thursday, hitting $41.02. 177,890 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 617,469. Avista Corporation has a 52-week low of $35.50 and a 52-week high of $43.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $40.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 10.75%.The company had revenue of $555.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $643.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Avista Corporation will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.4925 dividend. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. Avista's dividend payout ratio is currently 78.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Avista from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Avista currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.00.

More Avista News

Here are the key news stories impacting Avista this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat — Avista reported higher-than-expected Q1 EPS (about $1.11 vs. ~$1.04 consensus), which reassures investors on near-term profitability despite lower revenue. This is the primary catalyst supporting the stock. Earnings Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared — the board approved a $0.4925 per share quarterly dividend (annualized $1.97), with record date May 19 and payable June 12; this yields roughly 4.8%, making the stock more attractive to income-focused investors. Dividend Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $42 but kept a “neutral” rating — a modest upward PT revision but no upgrade in conviction. Mizuho Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares (~$65k at ~$40.98), reducing his stake but leaving meaningful ownership; appears to be a routine SEC disclosure rather than a company-level red flag. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays cut its price target from $41 to $40 and assigned an “equal weight” rating, signaling some analyst caution and a modest downside to the share-price outlook. Barclays Note
• Negative Sentiment: 2025 Form 10‑K flagged ongoing regulatory risk exposure — the company disclosed a new regulation-related risk, which could pressure sentiment among fundamentally focused investors. 10‑K Summary

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avista

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVA. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Avista by 90.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Bayban purchased a new stake in Avista in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Avista in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Avista during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avista by 619.5% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.24% of the company's stock.

Avista Company Profile

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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