Trust Co. of Vermont Trims Stake in Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA)

Trust Co. of Vermont lessened its stake in shares of Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA) by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,094 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Avista were worth $176,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Congress Asset Management Co. MA increased its holdings in Avista by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 84,781 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,030,000 after buying an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Avista by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 38,242 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,367,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Avista by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Avista by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,785 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Avista by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 10,740 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. 85.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avista Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:AVA traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $37.65. The stock had a trading volume of 154,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 537,172. Avista Co. has a fifty-two week low of $30.53 and a fifty-two week high of $39.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $35.94 and its 200 day moving average is $35.23. The stock has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68 and a beta of 0.46.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on AVA shares. Mizuho upgraded shares of Avista from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Avista from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avista

In related news, CEO Jason R. Thackston sold 2,500 shares of Avista stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.98, for a total value of $92,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,506 shares in the company, valued at $1,202,071.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Jason R. Thackston sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.98, for a total transaction of $92,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,202,071.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Latisha Diane Hill sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.21, for a total value of $61,557.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 11,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $401,387.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 5,916 shares of company stock valued at $215,268. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.