Vistra Corp. $VST is Appaloosa LP's 7th Largest Position

Key Points

• Appaloosa LP sold 400,000 shares of Vistra Corp., reducing its stake by 14.8%, and now holds approximately 2.3 million shares worth $270 million.
• Analysts have upgraded Vistra Corp.'s ratings, with Jefferies Financial Group raising its price target from $145 to $241, supporting a "buy" rating.
• Vistra recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, payable on September 30, reflecting a 0.5% annual yield.

Appaloosa LP trimmed its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 14.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,300,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 400,000 shares during the quarter. Vistra comprises about 3.2% of Appaloosa LP's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Appaloosa LP owned 0.68% of Vistra worth $270,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $274,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 111.1% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 66,572 shares of the company's stock worth $9,178,000 after acquiring an additional 35,037 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,068 shares of the company's stock worth $1,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,288 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 2,582.5% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 91,447 shares of the company's stock worth $12,608,000 after acquiring an additional 88,038 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $1,045,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Melius began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Melius Research raised Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $201.43.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST traded down $2.00 during trading on Friday, hitting $187.73. 5,198,097 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,346,336. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.94, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $72.90 and a 12-month high of $216.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The business has a 50 day moving average of $195.43 and a 200-day moving average of $159.84.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.