Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Acquired by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 95.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 177,199 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Vistra were worth $26,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.6%

VST opened at $157.89 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.55. The firm has a market cap of $53.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.31.

Vistra 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.