Donoghue Forlines LLC Sells 8,498 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Donoghue Forlines LLC cut its Vistra stake by 48.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 8,498 shares and leaving it with 8,995 shares valued at about $1.45 million.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.87 versus estimates of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion versus $5.22 billion expected.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a consensus Buy rating and average price target of $233.93.

Donoghue Forlines LLC lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 48.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,995 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,498 shares during the quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,451,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,371,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Vistra by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP raised its holdings in Vistra by 20.0% during the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $141.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $156.81 and a 200-day moving average of $164.97. The firm has a market cap of $47.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.43. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $138.53 and a 1-year high of $219.82.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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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