First Dallas Securities Inc. Sells 11,450 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• First Dallas Securities cut its Vistra stake by 72.8% in the first quarter, selling 11,450 shares and leaving it with 4,270 shares valued at about $642,000.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.87 versus expectations of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion, beating analyst forecasts. Sell-side analysts now expect the company to earn $9.52 per share for the full year.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, and analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $230.31.

First Dallas Securities Inc. lessened its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 72.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,270 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,450 shares during the period. First Dallas Securities Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $642,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $746,729,000. Payden & Rygel lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% during the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,711,000 after buying an additional 34,300 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $29,875,000. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,768,694 shares of the company's stock worth $285,343,000 after acquiring an additional 192,274 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 188,921 shares of the company's stock worth $30,479,000 after acquiring an additional 48,378 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock opened at $150.98 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $154.37 and a 200-day moving average of $158.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

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. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $230.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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