Kerusso Capital Management LLC Acquires New Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Kerusso Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 17,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,374,000. Vistra accounts for 2.1% of Kerusso Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, City State Bank boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 210.0% during the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Cowen initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST opened at $180.25 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $169.67 and its 200-day moving average is $188.03. The firm has a market cap of $61.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a $0.227 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. This trade represents a 21.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 278,995 shares of company stock valued at $50,757,547 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.