Avista (NYSE:AVA) – Investment analysts at KeyCorp issued their Q1 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of Avista in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 18th. KeyCorp analyst P. Ridzon anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $0.90 per share for the quarter.
Several other research firms also recently weighed in on AVA. ValuEngine downgraded Avista from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. Williams Capital reissued a “sell” rating and set a $40.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Avista in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.67.
Avista (NYSE:AVA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $397.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $380.39 million. Avista had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS.
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Avista by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,080 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of Avista by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 27,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,426,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. QS Investors LLC increased its position in shares of Avista by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. QS Investors LLC now owns 7,649 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,611 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Avista by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 109,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,648,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Avista by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC now owns 364,379 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,864,000 after purchasing an additional 2,130 shares during the last quarter. 81.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Avista
Avista Corporation operates as an electric and natural gas utility company. It operates through 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.
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