Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 19.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 32,785 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,705 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $5,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Archer Investment Corp grew its position in Vistra by 2,700.0% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of VST opened at $160.02 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $154.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.30. The stock has a market cap of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $233.33.

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.