Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec Sells 27,973 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec reduced its Vistra stake by 3.4%, selling 27,973 shares and retaining 788,199 shares worth approximately $125 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Vistra reported quarterly EPS of $0.76, well below the $1.61 analyst consensus, while revenue of $4.02 billion also missed expectations of $5.46 billion. The stock opened at $140.28, near the lower end of its 12-month range.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $223.53, despite some recent rating downgrades. Vistra also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lowered its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 788,199 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,973 shares during the quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec owned approximately 0.23% of Vistra worth $125,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 24.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company's stock worth $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE VST opened at $140.28 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The stock has a market cap of $47.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.70 and a beta of 1.41. The stock's 50 day moving average is $152.62 and its 200 day moving average is $155.68.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. Research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a positive change 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 is Monday, September 21st. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Mizuho started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.53.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,914,427. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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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