Avista (NYSE:AVA) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Avista (NYSE:AVA) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Monday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.520-2.720 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.600. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.25.

Avista Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of AVA opened at $39.62 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $41.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.25. Avista has a 12-month low of $35.50 and a 12-month high of $43.50.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.20. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The company had revenue of $413.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $426.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Avista will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.49%.

Insider Transactions at Avista

In other Avista news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,593 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.98, for a total transaction of $65,281.14. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,521 shares in the company, valued at $431,150.58. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Avista News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Avista this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat: Avista reported Q2 GAAP EPS of $0.43, well above the $0.23 analyst consensus and up from $0.17 a year earlier. Net income rose to $35 million from $14 million, while first-half net income increased to $127 million from $93 million. Avista Q2 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance reaffirmed: Management maintained 2026 non-GAAP utility earnings guidance of $2.52 to $2.72 per diluted share, broadly consistent with the $2.60 consensus midpoint. Management cited operational execution, cost controls and general rate-case benefits. Avista Q2 Results and Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings quality is mixed: Q2 utility earnings per share were flat year over year at $0.29. The broader GAAP improvement was helped substantially by a recovery in non-regulated investment performance, including gains that may be volatile and difficult to forecast.
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital needs remain significant: Avista expects approximately $615 million in 2026 utility capital expenditures, up to $230 million of long-term debt issuance and up to $90 million of common-stock issuance. The company is also evaluating as much as $100 million of additional short-term liquidity.
• Negative Sentiment: Wildfire exposure: Fires in the Spokane, Washington, area reportedly caused substantial damage to parts of Avista’s power grid and service disruptions. Potential repair costs, liability, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage create an overhang for the utility. Avista Spokane Wildfire Damage
• Negative Sentiment: Core revenue pressure and regulatory uncertainty: Year-to-date electric revenue declined because of lower wholesale revenue and the departure of a large industrial customer; natural-gas revenue also fell. Avista’s latest risk disclosure highlights continuing exposure to regulatory decisions, delayed cost recovery, severe weather and wildfire liabilities. Avista Risk Disclosure

Institutional Trading of Avista

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Avista by 90.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avista in the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Avista during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Avista by 619.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Avista during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.