Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC dramatically increased its Vistra position in the fourth quarter, lifting holdings by 7,556% to 7,656 shares valued at about $1.24 million.
• Vistra posted a strong quarterly earnings beat, reporting $2.87 EPS versus estimates of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion versus expectations of $5.22 billion.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a Buy consensus and an average target price of $233.93.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 7,556.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,656 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,556 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Vistra by 15.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company's stock worth $1,392,299,000 after buying an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth $145,987,000. Situational Awareness LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 142.3% during the second quarter. Situational Awareness LP now owns 1,274,178 shares of the company's stock worth $246,948,000 after buying an additional 748,332 shares during the period. Moore Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 2,072.6% during the second quarter. Moore Capital Management LP now owns 528,657 shares of the company's stock worth $102,459,000 after buying an additional 504,324 shares during the period. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 50.6% during the second quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 1,424,803 shares of the company's stock worth $276,141,000 after buying an additional 478,834 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST stock opened at $141.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $156.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.97. The company has a market capitalization of $47.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.43. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $138.53 and a 1-year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $233.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is owned by 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.

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