Nuance Investments LLC Buys 96,532 Shares of Avista Corporation $AVA

Nuance Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) by 50.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 288,203 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,532 shares during the period. Avista makes up approximately 1.1% of Nuance Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Nuance Investments LLC owned about 0.36% of Avista worth $10,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVA. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,674,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in Avista by 52.7% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,110,711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $80,101,000 after purchasing an additional 728,543 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Avista by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,191,896 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $197,032,000 after buying an additional 398,446 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avista by 25.9% in the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 590,535 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $22,411,000 after acquiring an additional 121,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Avista by 159.4% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 181,149 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,875,000 after purchasing an additional 111,318 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Avista Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AVA opened at $41.51 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.47 and a 200-day moving average of $38.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.28. Avista Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.50 and a fifty-two week high of $43.09.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Avista’s payout ratio is 83.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In other news, SVP Wayne O. Manuel sold 1,785 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.74, for a total transaction of $69,150.90. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,883 shares in the company, valued at $382,867.42. This represents a 15.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Avista in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avista in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Avista from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Avista from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Avista has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.33.

About Avista

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.