Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) Stock Holdings Lessened by Versor Investments LP

Versor Investments LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA - Free Report) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 61,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 13,394 shares during the quarter. Versor Investments LP owned 0.08% of Avista worth $2,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Avista during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Avista in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Avista by 296.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 956 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased 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 acquiring an additional 518 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank lifted its position in Avista by 309.3% in the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 1,842 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,392 shares during the period. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avista Price Performance

Shares of AVA traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $39.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 936,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 514,144. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $36.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.60. Avista Co. has a fifty-two week low of $33.00 and a fifty-two week high of $40.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.90, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49.

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Avista (NYSE:AVA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.02). Avista had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 10.24%. The business had revenue of $517.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.48 million. On average, research analysts predict that Avista Co. will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avista Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This is a positive change from Avista's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.91%. Avista's dividend payout ratio is currently 86.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Avista from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report 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.