114,391 Shares in Vistra Corp. $VST Purchased by Clearline Capital LP

Key Points

• Clearline Capital LP has acquired 114,391 shares of Vistra Corp. valued at approximately $13.4 million, making it the 29th largest position in their investment portfolio.
• Vistra Corp. reported earnings of $1.01 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates, along with revenue of $4.25 billion, below the expected $5.15 billion.
• Vistra has increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, marking a boost from $0.23, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.5%.

Clearline Capital LP acquired a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 114,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,434,000. Vistra makes up about 0.8% of Clearline Capital LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST traded down $4.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $204.67. 4,397,304 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,866,305. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $195.92 and a 200-day moving average of $160.65. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $79.03 and a one year high of $216.85. The firm has a market cap of $69.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.64, a PEG ratio of 3.03 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 (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Melius started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $201.43.

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.