Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) Holdings Raised by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 126,049 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,261 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.16% of Avista worth $4,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Avista by 117.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 858 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Avista by 296.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 956 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Avista by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Avista by 43.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank boosted its position in Avista by 309.3% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 1,842 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avista Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of AVA stock traded down $1.22 on Monday, hitting $39.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,164,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 559,567. The stock's 50 day moving average is $38.82 and its 200-day moving average is $37.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.38. Avista Co. has a 52-week low of $33.00 and a 52-week high of $43.09. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $517.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.48 million. Avista had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 7.83%. As a group, research analysts expect that Avista Co. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Avista Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 4.96%. Avista's payout ratio is currently 86.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In other news, VP Scott J. Kinney sold 2,298 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.75, for a total value of $89,047.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 12,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $485,886.25. The trade was a 15.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.