Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Cuts Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board cut its Vistra stake by 23% in the second quarter, selling 733,769 shares and retaining 2.45 million shares worth about $388.6 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Vistra reported quarterly EPS of $0.76, missing the $1.61 consensus estimate, while revenue of $4.02 billion fell short of analysts’ $5.46 billion forecast. Shares opened at $139.09, near the company’s one-year low of $132.66.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $223.53. Vistra declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, equating to an annualized yield of roughly 0.7%.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board decreased its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 23.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,449,824 shares of the company's stock after selling 733,769 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.73% of Vistra worth $388,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of VST opened at $139.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.70. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The stock has a market cap of $46.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.50 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VST. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,914,427. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vistra 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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