Lazard Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 353.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,690 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,112 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $746,729,000. Payden & Rygel grew its stake in Vistra by 3,118.2% in the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $29,875,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 188,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,479,000 after purchasing an additional 48,378 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. UBS Group cut their target price on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $229.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 5.2%

Shares of VST stock opened at $155.94 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The stock has a market cap of $52.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.12 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.85.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Vistra Company Profile

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.