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4 Reasons to Add Avista (AVA) Stock to Your Portfolio Now

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Avista Corporation (AVA - Free Report) operates as an electric and natural gas utility company. It provides electric and natural gas services to 400,000 and 367,000 customers, respectively. The company is investing substantially to modernize infrastructure and upgrade systems.

Let’s focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock a strong investment pick at the moment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Growth Projections

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 and 2022 earnings per share is pegged at $2.12 and $2.31, respectively. The estimates for 2021 and 2022 indicate year-over-year growth of 11.7% and 8.8%, respectively, and have increased 0.9% and 1.3% in the past 60 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 and 2022 revenues is pegged at $1.35 billion and $1.4 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 2.1% and 3.5%, respectively.

Dividend Yield & Long-Term Earnings Growth

Currently, the company has a dividend yield of 3.9% compared with the industry’s 3.09%. The long-term earnings per share (three to five years) growth of the company is currently pegged at 5.44%.
Regular Investments

Avista makes consistent investments to upgrade and maintain the existing infrastructure as well as expand operations. The company anticipates investing $415 million in 2021 and $405 million annually between 2022 and 2023 in utility operations.

These investments will increase the reliability of its services and enable it to serve a growing customer base effectively. The company expects this systematic investment to drive 5% annual rate base growth over the long term.

Emission Goal

The company is investing in carbon neutral supply of electricity by the end of 2027 and provide 100% clean electricity to customers by 2045. The company is aiming to lower greenhouse emission from its Natural Gas business by 30% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The company aims to do this by investing in new technologies like renewable natural gas, hydrogen and other renewable biofuels. The company’s clean energy future encompasses both electric and natural gas resources. It will also reduce consumption through conservation and energy efficiency and improving infrastructure.

Price Performance

In the past six months, the stock has gained 13.2% compared with the industry’s growth of 3.1%.

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

Other Stocks to Consider

Other top-ranked stocks in the same sector include Otter Tail Corporation (OTTR - Free Report) , NewJersey Resource Corporation (NJR - Free Report) and UGI Corporation (UGI - Free Report) , each currently having a Zacks Rank #2.

Otter Tail, NewJersey Resource and UGI Corp. pay regular dividends, thereby ensuring steady income for investors. The current dividend yield of Otter Tail, NewJersey Resource and UGI Corp. is 3.28%, 3.25% and 3%, respectively.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 earnings for Otter Tail has moved up 3.2% in the past 60 days. Fiscal 2021 earnings estimates for NewJersey Resource and UGI Corp. have moved up 10.6%, and 3.4%, respectively, in the past 60 days.

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