Congress Asset Management Co. Lowers Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Congress Asset Management reduced its Vistra stake by 7.2% in the third quarter, selling 6,625 shares and retaining 85,807 shares valued at approximately $11.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish: 15 analysts rate Vistra a Buy and two rate it a Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $217.61. However, the company recently missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates.
• Vistra’s outlook is supported by federal financing of up to $4.2 billion for nuclear plant upgrades and long-term power agreements tied to data-center demand, though high leverage and regulatory risks remain concerns.

Congress Asset Management Co. decreased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,807 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,625 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $11,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,610,496,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $468,354,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $381,938,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at $262,169,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $138,267,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Vistra from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Williams Trading set a $202.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $217.61.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke bought 4,465 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 10.7%

Shares of VST stock opened at $160.35 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $217.10. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $143.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.04. The stock has a market cap of $53.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Vistra News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed a conditional loan commitment of up to $4.2 billion to help Vistra increase output and extend the operating lives of its Perry and Davis-Besse plants in Ohio and Beaver Valley in Pennsylvania. The projects could add approximately 433 megawatts of capacity while reducing Vistra’s upfront capital burden. DoE confirms up to $4.2B loan to Vistra
• Positive Sentiment: Investors view the federal financing as particularly valuable because much of the incremental nuclear output is supported by long-term agreements, including a 20-year power purchase agreement with Meta and a 20-year, 207-megawatt deal with New Era Energy & Digital for a Texas data center. These contracts improve revenue visibility and connect Vistra to AI-related electricity demand. Vistra Stock Gains as Federal Funds Fuel Nuclear Power Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: A separate Google nuclear-power agreement with Constellation Energy prompted a broader rally across nuclear-power stocks. The deal reinforced investor expectations that hyperscalers will pay for dependable, around-the-clock nuclear generation to support data centers, lifting sentiment toward Vistra as a comparable nuclear operator. Constellation Energy soars on Google nuclear deal
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually high call-option activity, including more than 52,000 contracts purchased, indicated increased speculative and institutional interest in further upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra extended its revolving-credit facility maturity to September 2027, supporting near-term liquidity, although the company remains highly leveraged.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks remain from Vistra’s recent earnings miss, substantial debt burden and a BMO Capital Markets price-target reduction to $210 from $231, despite retaining an outperform rating. The company is also challenging a PJM market proposal that it says could weaken investment incentives. Vistra challenges PJM proposal

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. NYSE: VST is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.

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