Avista to sweeten dividend

Avista Corp. said this morning that it is raising its per-share dividend paid to owners of the company’s stock by 3 cents, to 21 cents per share. That translates to a 17 percent increase. The dividend will be paid June 15. “The dividend increase is indicative of the board’s confidence in our continued progress toward achieving our goals, and it provides a demonstration of that confidence to our shareholders,” company President and CEO Scott Morris said in a news release.