Anson Funds Management LP Acquires 9,000 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Anson Funds Management LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 150% in Q3, buying an additional 9,000 shares to hold 15,000 shares valued at about $2.94 million.
• EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares on March 9 at an average price of $160.31 (≈$1.60M), cutting her ownership by 8.04; insiders now hold 1.42% of the stock.
• Vistra is heavily institutionally owned (~90.88%), has a market cap of ~$53.9B, recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228 (annualized $0.91, 0.6% yield), and carries a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $236.40.

Anson Funds Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 150.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Anson Funds Management LP's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $930,080,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 280.6% in the second quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,356,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $262,876,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Vistra by 15.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,392,299,000 after acquiring an additional 930,912 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vistra by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $879,390,000 after acquiring an additional 913,350 shares during the period. Finally, Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $145,987,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Down 0.3%

VST opened at $159.09 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $53.90 billion, a PE ratio of 73.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The company has a 50 day moving average of $163.48 and a 200 day moving average of $178.34.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on VST. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $236.40.

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.

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