California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 11,654 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System reduced its Vistra stake by 2.9%, selling 11,654 shares and retaining 391,735 shares valued at approximately $58.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Vistra reported quarterly earnings of $2.87 per share, substantially exceeding the $1.32 analyst consensus, while revenue of $5.64 billion also topped expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $229.88, although recent downgrades and data-center development constraints present risks. Vistra also declared a $0.23 quarterly dividend.

California State Teachers Retirement System cut its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 391,735 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,654 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.12% of Vistra worth $58,890,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VST. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 611.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 441,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,312,000 after buying an additional 379,071 shares in the last quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 36.8% in the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 471,293 shares of the company's stock worth $70,849,000 after acquiring an additional 126,762 shares in the last quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 23.5% in the 1st quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,107 shares of the company's stock worth $1,970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,496 shares in the last quarter. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth approximately $527,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in Vistra by 38.0% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 141,635 shares of the company's stock worth $21,292,000 after acquiring an additional 39,027 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Vistra to $212 and maintained a favorable view, providing a bullish valuation signal and potential support for the stock. Morgan Stanley Raises Vistra Price Target to $212
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also issued a “Buy” rating, reinforcing the view that Vistra’s power-generation assets and exposure to rising electricity demand could offer further upside. Vistra Gets a Buy from Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra declared a quarterly common-stock dividend of $0.23 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 21. The roughly $75 million distribution offers continued shareholder returns and was described as a modest increase from the prior dividend. Vistra Declares Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra’s valuation appears mixed following its pullback. Potential growth from data-center electricity demand remains an investment theme, but new limits affecting data-center development in New York could constrain some expansion expectations. Vistra Stock Looks Reasonable Following New York Data Center Limits
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst downgrades and a pessimistic TD Cowen forecast pressured the shares, highlighting concerns about Vistra’s outlook and contributing to the recent decline. TD Cowen Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Vistra

Vistra Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of VST opened at $148.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $156.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, 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 value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% 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 quarter, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $229.88.

Vistra Company Profile

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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