Equities Analysts Set Expectations for Avista Q4 Earnings

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) – KeyCorp lifted their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for Avista in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $0.97 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.84. The consensus estimate for Avista’s current full-year earnings is $2.59 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Avista’s FY2028 earnings at $3.00 EPS, FY2029 earnings at $3.17 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $3.41 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on AVA. Zacks Research raised shares of Avista from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Avista from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on Avista in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Avista from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Avista presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

Avista Stock Performance

Avista stock opened at $42.02 on Friday. Avista has a 12-month low of $35.50 and a 12-month high of $43.50. 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 market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $41.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.90.

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

Avista Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a $0.4925 dividend. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. Avista’s payout ratio is currently 78.49%.

Insider Activity

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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $431,150.58. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Avista by 5.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,741,000 after purchasing an additional 3,296 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avista by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 69,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,924,000 after purchasing an additional 6,967 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Avista in the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Avista by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 283,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,857,000 after purchasing an additional 58,504 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Avista during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $134,000. Institutional investors 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.