ARS Investment Partners LLC Invests $15.30 Million in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• ARS Investment Partners opened a new position in Vistra Corp. during the fourth quarter, buying 94,853 shares valued at about $15.3 million.
• Vistra also saw mixed insider and institutional activity: Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares, while institutional investors continue to own a large majority of the stock at 90.88%.
• Analysts remain largely constructive on the company, with Vistra carrying a Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $233.93; the company also beat quarterly earnings estimates and recently increased its dividend.

ARS Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 94,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,303,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $357,000. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 121,508 shares of the company's stock worth $19,603,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in Vistra by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 4,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $249,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.93.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $139.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $137.81 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The business has a fifty day moving average of $156.34 and a 200-day moving average of $164.79. The stock has a market cap of $47.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.24%.

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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