CX Institutional Cuts Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• CX Institutional cut its Vistra stake by 93.5% in the third quarter, selling 43,170 shares and retaining 3,011 shares worth approximately $417,000. Institutional investors still own 90.88% of Vistra’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 15 Buy ratings and two Hold ratings producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $219.33.
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, with earnings per share of $0.76 versus the $1.61 consensus and revenue of $4.02 billion versus estimates of $5.46 billion; the company nevertheless raised its quarterly dividend to $0.23 per share.

CX Institutional trimmed its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 93.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,011 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,170 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional's holdings in Vistra were worth $417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 16.1% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,979,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Vistra by 95.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares in the last quarter. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda purchased a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $10,543,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 353.5% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 11,690 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,757,000 after purchasing an additional 9,112 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research downgraded Vistra from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $219.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The reported loan would provide substantial financial support for Vistra’s nuclear expansion plans and may improve the long-term earnings outlook. The report is not yet confirmed as finalized. Trump administration reportedly prepares $4B federal loan to expand Vistra’s nuclear capacity
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $202 price target, implying significant upside from recent levels. Siebert Williams Shank initiates coverage of Vistra
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reaffirmed its positive view, maintaining an Outperform rating and an $181 target. Analysts have pointed to a wide gap between Vistra’s depressed share price and their longer-term valuation estimates. Bernstein reaffirms Vistra outperform rating
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention was also supported by news that Peter Thiel’s investment fund added Vistra to its portfolio, with Vistra and Amazon representing 42% of the fund’s reported holdings. Peter Thiel’s fund adds Vistra

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. This trade represents a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST opened at $139.94 on Monday. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $143.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.24. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $217.10. The company has a market cap of $46.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.23 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

About Vistra

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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