Palouse Capital Management Inc. Takes $3.15 Million Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Palouse Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 19,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,149,000. Vistra accounts for approximately 2.0% of Palouse Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after acquiring an additional 390,157 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,657,891,000 after acquiring an additional 432,028 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after acquiring an additional 97,424 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,872,000 after purchasing an additional 35,258 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $140.87 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $155.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $157.21. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.50 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its 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 net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.42 EPS for the current fiscal 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 is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VST. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Zacks Research raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $229.88.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last three months. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.