Senator Investment Group LP Decreases Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Senator Investment Group LP cut its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 91.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,763 shares of the company’s stock after selling 180,000 shares during the quarter. Senator Investment Group LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 20.0% in the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 0.1%

VST stock opened at $137.16 on Monday. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $132.66 and a one year high of $219.82. The firm has a market cap of $46.04 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $151.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on VST. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,914,427. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.