Vistra Corp. $VST Holdings Lowered by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lowered its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 5.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 978,073 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.29% of Vistra worth $191,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 24.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its position in Vistra by 18.9% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,218,000 after purchasing an additional 998 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $163.89 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $163.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.13. The company has a market capitalization of $55.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. Analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 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, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.40.

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.