Sterling Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 44.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,266 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,052 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $4,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,709,519,000 after purchasing an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,891,000 after buying an additional 432,028 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after buying an additional 97,424 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,872,000 after buying an additional 35,258 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $163.69 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $154.82 and a 200-day moving average of $159.37.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total transaction of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $230.31.

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.