DRW Securities LLC Sells 17,116 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• DRW Securities LLC significantly reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 82.5%, selling 17,116 shares and holding only 3,634 shares worth $427,000 after the first quarter.
• Several other institutional investors have increased their positions in Vistra, with Baird Financial Group's stake soaring by 296.3% to 55,755 shares valued at approximately $6.55 million.
• Vistra's stock has faced a recent decline of 3.7% and reported earnings that missed consensus estimates, leading to a quarterly dividend increase despite a challenging financial period.

DRW Securities LLC cut its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 82.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,634 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,116 shares during the period. DRW Securities LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 296.3% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 55,755 shares of the company's stock worth $6,548,000 after purchasing an additional 41,687 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 30.8% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 70,094 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,232,000 after buying an additional 16,490 shares during the period. Hiddenite Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $2,936,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 7.1% during the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 2,634 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Vistra by 15.6% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 259,115 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,430,000 after buying an additional 35,049 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Melius began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $201.43.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This trade represents a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $189.33 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $64.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.34. The company's 50 day moving average is $195.51 and its 200 day moving average is $159.09. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $72.90 and a twelve month high of $216.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. Research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Vistra Company Profile

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.

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