79,486 Shares in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) Purchased by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 79,486 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,841,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Avista as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Avista by 178.0% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,540 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Avista by 21.1% during the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Avista by 83.0% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,492 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in shares of Avista by 148.7% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,746 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Avista by 15.5% during the second quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,476 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avista Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AVA traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $35.08. The company had a trading volume of 411,328 shares, compared to its average volume of 578,406. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $33.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.50. Avista Co. has a one year low of $30.53 and a one year high of $44.83.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $504.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $545.78 million. Avista had a return on equity of 7.07% and a net margin of 9.77%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Avista Co. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avista Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. This is a positive change from Avista's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.42%. Avista's payout ratio is presently 85.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AVA shares. Guggenheim raised shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $34.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Avista currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

Avista Company 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.