Cadent Capital Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 6,094 Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Cadent Capital Advisors LLC acquired 6,094 shares of Vistra Corp., valued at approximately $1.18 million, in the second quarter, highlighting growing investment interest in the company.
• Vistra Corp. announced a dividend increase to $0.226 per share, marking a boost from the previous quarterly dividend and reflecting a dividend yield of 0.4%.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on Vistra, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and several firms projecting significant price target increases, reflecting optimism about the company's future performance.

Cadent Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 6,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,181,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VST. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $218.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,360 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.21, for a total value of $4,490,085.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 238,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,139,289.20. The trade was a 8.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 233,569 shares of company stock worth $48,915,316. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $202.12 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $199.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.77. The stock has a market cap of $68.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. On average, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.35%.

About Vistra

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.

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