137,435 Shares in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) Purchased by Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 137,435 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,034,000. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. owned about 0.17% of Avista at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in Avista by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 38,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,403,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Avista by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 22,842 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $837,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Avista by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 7,814 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in Avista by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 137,767 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,046,000 after buying an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in Avista by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 25,772 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $944,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott J. Kinney sold 2,298 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.75, for a total transaction of $89,047.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $485,886.25. The trade was a 15.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Avista Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AVA traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $41.15. 493,496 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 574,334. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Avista Co. has a 12 month low of $33.45 and a 12 month high of $43.09. The company has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $40.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.21.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $517.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.48 million. Avista had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 10.24%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Avista Co. will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avista Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Avista's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.76%. Avista's dividend payout ratio is presently 86.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Avista from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

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.