Avista (AVA) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) is projected to release its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, February 26th. Analysts expect Avista to post earnings of $0.86 per share and revenue of $487.48 million for the quarter. Investors that wish to register for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Avista Stock Performance

Avista stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.91. 493,808 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 397,555. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $36.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.55. Avista has a fifty-two week low of $32.70 and a fifty-two week high of $39.99. The firm has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.10, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Avista Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Avista's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Avista's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Avista from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

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.