Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Acquired by Atika Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Atika Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 57.8%, owning a total of 116,000 shares valued at approximately $13.62 million.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets on Vistra, with UBS Group and Jefferies Financial Group setting targets of $230.00 and $241.00, respectively, indicating strong buy ratings for the stock.
• Vistra recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.5%, scheduled for payment on September 30th.

Atika Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 57.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 116,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 42,500 shares during the quarter. Vistra accounts for 1.9% of Atika Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Atika Capital Management LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $13,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HM Payson & Co. raised its position in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $34,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Melius began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $5,650,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $18,579,650 in the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Stock Up 0.0%

VST traded up $0.0160 on Friday, hitting $190.2960. 3,444,858 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,641,922. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $72.90 and a twelve month high of $216.85. The company has a market cap of $64.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $194.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.25.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Vistra 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.