Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 4.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,009,988 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,576 shares during the period. Vistra accounts for 3.1% of Sapient Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Sapient Capital LLC owned about 0.30% of Vistra worth $199,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. City State Bank boosted its stake in Vistra by 210.0% during the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Cowen began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $232.40.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $38,137,265.25. This represents a 21.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total value of $1,424,763.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,842,690.90. This trade represents a 9.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 592,895 shares of company stock valued at $115,003,119 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of VST opened at $161.76 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $177.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.39. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.227 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.49%.

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.