Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,490 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,380 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $7,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $930,080,000. Lone Pine Capital LLC increased its position in Vistra by 40.5% during the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,896,000 after acquiring an additional 1,864,931 shares during the last quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 280.6% in the second quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,356,357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,876,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 930,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Vistra by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,390,000 after purchasing an additional 913,350 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 1.9%

VST stock opened at $162.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $166.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The business had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,842,690.90. This represents a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 166,680 shares of company stock valued at $28,761,790. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on VST. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.20.

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.