Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Owl Creek Asset Management L.P.

Owl Creek Asset Management L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 58.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 63,778 shares of the company’s stock after selling 89,586 shares during the period. Vistra makes up approximately 0.7% of Owl Creek Asset Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Owl Creek Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,588,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 353.5% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 11,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,757,000 after purchasing an additional 9,112 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $249,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 21.9% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 22,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,328,000 after acquiring an additional 3,978 shares during the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $316,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 49.8% in the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 2,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $364,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra 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 transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. 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 research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.62.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $163.15 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $156.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.33 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

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.