Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Lowers Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Janney Montgomery Scott LLC cut its Vistra stake by 11.3% in the first quarter, selling 22,740 shares and leaving it with 178,774 shares valued at about $26.9 million.
• Vistra insiders also sold shares, including director Scott B. Helm and director John R. Sult, with total insider sales over the last quarter reaching 41,588 shares worth about $6.74 million.
• The company reported strong fundamentals and a higher dividend, with Q1 EPS of $2.87 beating estimates and revenue topping forecasts, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.229 per share and maintaining a “Buy” consensus from analysts.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC trimmed its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 11.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 178,774 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,740 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Vistra worth $26,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Equitable Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% in the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Vistra by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 365 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the company's stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% 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 quarter, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE VST opened at $162.45 on Tuesday. 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 Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $154.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $159.31. The stock has a market cap of $54.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. 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. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two equities research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $230.31.

About Vistra

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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