KeyCorp Comments on Avista’s Q4 Earnings (NYSE:AVA)

Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) – KeyCorp decreased their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for shares of Avista in a report issued on Tuesday, December 3rd. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $0.88 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.04. The consensus estimate for Avista’s current full-year earnings is $2.36 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Avista’s FY2025 earnings at $2.62 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.77 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.88 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.00 EPS.

Separately, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Avista in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company.

Avista Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of AVA stock opened at $37.37 on Thursday. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.34. Avista has a fifty-two week low of $31.91 and a fifty-two week high of $39.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.48.

Avista (NYSE:AVA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.10. Avista had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 10.24%. The firm had revenue of $383.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $389.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Avista Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.08%. Avista’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.70%.

Institutional Trading of Avista

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Avista in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Avista during the third quarter worth $29,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Avista during the second quarter valued at $40,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Avista by 46.9% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,098 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in Avista by 256.6% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,953 shares in the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avista Company 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.