Forsta AP Fonden Raises Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in Vistra by 54.5% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 25,300 shares and bringing its total holding to 71,700 shares worth about $11.6 million.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on Vistra, with multiple firms reiterating buy or overweight ratings and the stock carrying an average target price of $233.33, well above its recent trading level.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results and raised its dividend, beating earnings and revenue estimates for the quarter and declaring a quarterly payout of $0.229 per share, supported by a low payout ratio of 15.24%.

Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 54.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,700 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,300 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Vistra were worth $11,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 74.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $233.33.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $160.10 on Monday. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $132.66 and a one year high of $219.82. The stock's fifty day moving average is $154.20 and its 200 day moving average is $161.89. The stock has a market cap of $53.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.82 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's payout ratio is 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Company 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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