Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Aventail Capital Group LP

Aventail Capital Group LP decreased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 40.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 98,756 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66,476 shares during the period. Aventail Capital Group LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $19,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Vistra by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after purchasing an additional 226,514 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,299,000 after buying an additional 930,912 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $930,080,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,872,000 after buying an additional 35,258 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 11.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,983,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,599,000 after buying an additional 303,573 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of VST opened at $159.09 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $163.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $178.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.94%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on VST. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.