Janus Henderson Group PLC Reduces Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 42.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,691,315 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,267,425 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $254,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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 that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $148.31 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84 and a beta of 1.40. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.12. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Vistra News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Vistra to $212 and maintained a favorable view, providing a bullish valuation signal and potential support for the stock. Morgan Stanley Raises Vistra Price Target to $212
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also issued a “Buy” rating, reinforcing the view that Vistra’s power-generation assets and exposure to rising electricity demand could offer further upside. Vistra Gets a Buy from Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra declared a quarterly common-stock dividend of $0.23 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 21. The roughly $75 million distribution offers continued shareholder returns and was described as a modest increase from the prior dividend. Vistra Declares Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra’s valuation appears mixed following its pullback. Potential growth from data-center electricity demand remains an investment theme, but new limits affecting data-center development in New York could constrain some expansion expectations. Vistra Stock Looks Reasonable Following New York Data Center Limits
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst downgrades and a pessimistic TD Cowen forecast pressured the shares, highlighting concerns about Vistra’s outlook and contributing to the recent decline. TD Cowen Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Vistra

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.88.

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.