Blue Trust Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA)

Blue Trust Inc. lowered its holdings in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) by 43.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,732 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,329 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Avista were worth $63,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Avista by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,828,230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $70,857,000 after purchasing an additional 27,328 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Avista by 2.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,597,000 after acquiring an additional 26,706 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Avista by 9.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 420,527 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,295,000 after acquiring an additional 34,829 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Avista by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 311,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,072,000 after acquiring an additional 62,615 shares during the period. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avista during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $10,076,000. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company’s stock.

Avista Price Performance

NYSE AVA opened at $38.26 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.49. Avista Co. has a 52 week low of $32.70 and a 52 week high of $39.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.55.

Avista Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This is an increase from Avista’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.12%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 75.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Avista from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

Avista 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.