CWA Asset Management Group LLC Invests $1.67 Million in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 45,657 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,672,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Avista at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Avista by 5.2% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 29,135 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Avista by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 259,692 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,988,000 after acquiring an additional 2,101 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Avista by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 21,888 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $758,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Avista in the second quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its holdings in shares of Avista by 5.2% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 71,250 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,466,000 after purchasing an additional 3,538 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.24% of the company's stock.

Avista Trading Up 2.2 %

AVA stock traded up $0.79 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $36.03. 659,332 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 571,683. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 14.35, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.49. Avista Co. has a one year low of $31.91 and a one year high of $39.99. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.10. Avista had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 10.24%. The company had revenue of $383.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $389.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.19 EPS. Avista's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Avista Co. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.27%. Avista's payout ratio is 75.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Avista in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America began coverage on Avista in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $37.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Avista currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $36.75.

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.