K2 Principal Fund L.P. Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• K2 Principal Fund bought 12,085 shares of Vistra during the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.92 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a positive outlook, with Vistra carrying a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $228.56, well above its reported opening price of $140.39.
• Vistra reported quarterly earnings and revenue below analyst expectations, while insiders sold 41,588 shares worth approximately $6.74 million over the past 90 days. The company also declared a $0.23 quarterly dividend, equating to a 0.7% yield.

K2 Principal Fund L.P. purchased a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 12,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,917,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Vistra by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company's stock worth $26,638,000 after acquiring an additional 86,393 shares in the last quarter. Payden & Rygel raised its stake in Vistra by 3,118.2% during the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company's stock worth $5,711,000 after acquiring an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,875,000. Finally, Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda purchased a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $10,543,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, 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 transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were 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. This represents 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $228.56.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $140.39 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $154.02 and its 200 day moving average is $156.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The firm has a market cap of $47.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.71 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

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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