Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 58.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,480 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,219 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $3,090,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Vistra by 95.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares during the last quarter. Payden & Rygel raised its position in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% in the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,875,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

VST opened at $136.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $153.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.83. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The firm has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.05 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 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. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

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.