ING Groep NV Acquires 152,988 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• ING Groep NV boosted its Vistra stake by 582.3% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 152,988 shares to bring its total holding to 179,261 shares worth about $28.9 million.
• Vistra reported stronger-than-expected Q1 earnings of $2.87 per share versus $1.32 expected, along with revenue of $5.64 billion, while analysts still project full-year EPS of 9.3.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, and despite recent share-price weakness, Wall Street remains bullish with a consensus Buy rating and average price target of $233.33.

ING Groep NV increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 582.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 179,261 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 152,988 shares during the period. ING Groep NV owned approximately 0.05% of Vistra worth $28,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Vistra Stock Down 3.2%

VST stock opened at $148.72 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $50.15 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 1.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $154.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $161.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 19,600 shares of company stock worth $3,163,900. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on VST. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $233.33.

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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