National Pension Service raised its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Free Report) by 10.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 467,066 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,351 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Vistra were worth $74,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Equitable Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.9% during the first quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Vistra by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,333,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity at Vistra
In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke purchased 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 76,188 shares of company stock valued at $11,889,820. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Vistra Stock Performance
Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Vistra Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.
Key Stories Impacting Vistra
Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Vistra priced $850 million of Series A and $650 million of Series B junior subordinated notes due 2057. Proceeds will support general corporate purposes and could be used to redeem outstanding preferred stock, potentially improving the capital structure. Vistra Prices Registered Offering of $1.5 Billion of Junior Subordinated Notes
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain optimistic about Vistra’s growth prospects. Hedging, long-term power contracts, its diversified generation portfolio and rising electricity demand from data centers, industrial activity and electrification support earnings visibility. The Cogentrix acquisition and long-term nuclear agreements with Meta and Amazon Web Services are additional potential catalysts. Vistra: Cogentrix and Meta Can Offset a Softer ERCOT Outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s consensus view remains favorable, with a Moderate Buy rating and price targets generally well above the recent trading range. Commentators cite improving EBITDA expectations and potential upside to management’s outlook. Vistra Receives Consensus Recommendation of Moderate Buy
- Neutral Sentiment: Executive Vice President Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares worth approximately $6.75 million. Because the transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, it is a limited signal of management’s current outlook. SEC Insider Transaction Filing
- Negative Sentiment: The notes increase Vistra’s financing obligations while the company already has substantial leverage, reflected in a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. Investors may also be concerned about softer ERCOT conditions and the additional leverage associated with the Cogentrix acquisition. VST Stock Outperforms Industry in the Past Three Months
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $223.53.
View Our Latest Research Report on Vistra
Vistra Profile
Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation and retail energy businesses, serving residential, commercial, industrial and wholesale customers primarily across the United States.
Vistra’s generation portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar and battery energy storage facilities. Through its retail operations, the company provides electricity, natural gas and renewable energy plans under brands that include TXU Energy, Dynegy, Homefield Energy and Ambit Energy.
The company was established in 2016 following the separation of Energy Future Holdings’ competitive energy businesses.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Vistra
- Block Makes a Federal Trust Bank Move That Could Reshape Its Fintech Model
- Kroger’s Textbook Entry for Buy-and-Hold Investors
- AST SpaceMobile Looks to Extend Its 30-Day FCC Satellite Testing Window
- Amgen Drops 10% on a Trial It Didn’t Even Run
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Vistra Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vistra and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
