Boston Partners Purchases New Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Boston Partners has invested approximately $2.35 million in Vistra Corp., acquiring over 20,000 shares in the company's stock.
• Insider selling activity was reported, with EVP Carrie Lee Kirby and Director John R. Sult reducing their positions significantly, signaling a possible shift in ownership sentiment.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets for Vistra, with Jefferies Financial Group setting a target of $241.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating, reflecting positive market sentiment.

Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 20,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,354,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $787,000 after buying an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 9,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,276,000 after buying an additional 3,340 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,272 shares of the company's stock valued at $727,000 after buying an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $633,000. Finally, Farringdon Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $235,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $192.62.

Vistra Trading Down 2.8%

Vistra stock traded down $5.6390 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $193.3210. 3,353,058 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,959,081. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.80. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $72.90 and a 12-month high of $216.85. The firm has a market cap of $65.50 billion, a PE ratio of 30.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 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.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,084,418. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This trade represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $18,579,650. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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.