Stock fact sheet · data as of
Avista Corporation (AVA): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol AVA · Utilities · Diversified Utilities · United States · Blend Income
Is AVA undervalued?
At 40.17 (close of 5 Nov 2026), AVA trades within a few percent of the GLS average fair value of 39.98 (exactly at fair value). 8 models produced a value and they split 3 above the price to 5 below. A stock priced at fair value earns about half of the Wheel Score's Value points; the rest of the score comes from health, moat, premium and stability.
The 8 models disagree widely: Lynch gives 17.16 while GLS Growth gives 70.26. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for AVA, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 54, growth score 42, out of 100). It also carries the Income tag (Income = a dividend yield of 4% or more).
Nine valuation models for AVA
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 39.86 | -1% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 47.35 | +18% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 58.08 | +45% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 17.16 | -57% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 70.26 | +75% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 25.42 | -37% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | 28.95 | -28% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 32.77 | -18% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -62.16 | -255% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 35.00 | -13% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - AVA passes 5 of the nine Piotroski tests, which falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is 5.4 out of 10: a record that is solid on some of the four parts the score weighs (returns on capital, pricing power, lasting growth, balance sheet) and weaker on others.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 3.2%, ROE 7.1%, ROA 2.2% - with debt at 1.25 times equity and negative free cash flow.
The dividend yield is high at 4.90% (payout ratio 1%). A yield this size is often the market's way of pricing a risk to the payout, so the health score and cash flow matter more than usual. Revenue comes mainly from Avista Utilities 97%, Alaska Electric Light Power 3% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | 3.2% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.4 / 10 | ROE | 7.1% |
| Debt / equity | 1.25 | ROA | 2.2% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | -3.1% | Payout ratio | 1% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 23: Weak
AVA scores 23 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 3, below fair value - trades right at our fair value; and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 5/9 (under 6); and filter 5, can repay its debt - 6.1 years to repay its debt (over 6); and filter 7, a premium worth selling - implied volatility 24% (under 25%), and the parts are thin too - value weak, premium weak, moat fair, health fair, red flags good, option trading weak, stability fair. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility on the near-the-money contracts is 24%, below the 25% the Wheel Trade Filter on premium asks for: a put pays too little to be worth selling. Chain open interest is thin - 1,307 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 1.8M shares a day on a market cap of $3.4B, with a beta of 0.20 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades right at our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 5/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | 6.1 years to repay its debt (over 6) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Fails | implied volatility 24% (under 25%) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 0% above fair value | |
| Premium | Weak | implied volatility 24% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.4/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Red Flags | Good | Red Flags score 82/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 160 contracts a day, 1,307 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 0.20, $3.4B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for AVA in the nightly calendar.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Diversified Utilities
The 9 companies below are the closest to Avista Corporation by market cap within the Diversified Utilities industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQN Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. | 5.64 | 3.35 | -68% | 31Weak | $4.3B |
| BIPH Brookfield Infrastructure Finance ULC 5 % Notes 2021-24.05.81 Global | 15.25 | 18.88 | +19% | 21No options | $5.6B |
| AES The AES Corporation | 14.90 | 42.67 | +65% | 55Fair | $10.6B |
| UTL Unitil Corporation | 56.54 | 34.87 | -62% | 30Weak | $1.0B |
| SREA Sempra | 18.82 | 25.40 | +26% | 34No options | $12.3B |
| BIP Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. | 38.17 | 26.63 | -43% | 26Weak | $17.6B |
| AQNB Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. | 25.57 | 15.25 | -68% | 21No options | $18.8B |
| SRE Sempra | 82.90 | 54.43 | -52% | 33Weak | $54.2B |
| TVC Tennessee Valley Authority | 23.88 | 18,707.36 | +100% | 31No options | $13M |
Scan the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about AVA
Is AVA undervalued right now?
Not meaningfully: at 40.17 the stock trades within a few percent of the GLS average fair value of 39.98 (exactly at fair value, data as of 5 Nov 2026).
What is the Wheel Score of AVA and what does it mean?
AVA scores 23 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 3, 4, 5, 7. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for AVA?
39.98 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 8 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Avista Corporation report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for AVA in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does AVA have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 24 listed contracts with 1,307 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 24% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.