Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Acquired by Fred Alger Management LLC

Key Points

• Fred Alger Management LLC increased its holding in Vistra Corp. by 102.5% in Q1, acquiring 492,765 shares and now owning nearly 973,339 shares in total.
• Vistra's recent quarterly earnings showed a reported EPS of $1.01, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $1.63.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.226, an increase from the previous $0.23, to be paid on September 30th.

Fred Alger Management LLC boosted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 102.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 973,339 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 492,765 shares during the period. Vistra accounts for about 0.7% of Fred Alger Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Fred Alger Management LLC owned approximately 0.29% of Vistra worth $114,309,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,940,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 487.9% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company's stock worth $503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Vistra by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,980 shares of the company's stock worth $1,100,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $1,454,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Vistra by 85.9% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,703 shares of the company's stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 2,635 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VST. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. 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 report on Friday, July 25th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $201.43.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST traded down $4.54 on Thursday, reaching $204.67. The stock had a trading volume of 4,397,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,866,305. 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 Corp. has a twelve month low of $79.03 and a twelve month high of $216.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $195.92 and a 200 day moving average of $160.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.35 billion, a PE ratio of 32.64, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Vistra 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.