Avista (NYSE:AVA) Given New $40.00 Price Target at Barclays

Avista (NYSE:AVA) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Barclays from $39.00 to $40.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 3.23% from the company’s previous close.

AVA has been the topic of several other reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

Avista Price Performance

NYSE:AVA opened at $41.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $41.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.58. Avista has a 1-year low of $35.50 and a 1-year high of $43.50. The firm has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.25.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $570.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.55 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. Avista has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.720 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Avista will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Avista

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVA. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,381,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Avista by 100.4% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 343,989 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,257,000 after acquiring an additional 172,330 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Avista by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 319,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,295,000 after purchasing an additional 30,817 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Avista during the third quarter worth approximately $7,014,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in Avista by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 458,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $17,663,000 after purchasing an additional 37,800 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.