Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Lowers Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lessened its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 7.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 48,513 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,814 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 24.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in Vistra by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $269,000. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 12.6%

Vistra stock opened at $146.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm 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 represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VST. Bank of America cut their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.87.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.