Dean Investment Associates LLC Sells 78,312 Shares of Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA)

Dean Investment Associates LLC cut its stake in shares of Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) by 45.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 93,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 78,312 shares during the period. Dean Investment Associates LLC owned 0.12% of Avista worth $3,615,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Avista in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Avista during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Avista in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Avista by 46.9% in the 3rd 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 holdings in Avista by 256.6% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,714 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,953 shares during the period. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Avista Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AVA traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $37.25. 504,824 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 469,575. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.48. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $37.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.32. Avista Co. has a twelve month low of $31.91 and a twelve month high of $39.99.

Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.10. Avista had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 7.83%. The firm had revenue of $383.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $389.29 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.19 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Avista Co. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Avista's dividend payout ratio is 75.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Bank of America began coverage on Avista in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company.

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.