Karras Company Inc. Makes New $1.12 Million Investment in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Karras Company Inc. disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Vistra Corp., buying 6,936 shares worth about $1.12 million. The stake now represents about 1.1% of Karras’ portfolio.
• Vistra has been drawing generally bullish analyst support, with an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $233.33. Recent reports included price targets as high as $241 and continued overweight/buy recommendations.
• The company posted strong quarterly results, reporting EPS of $2.87 versus estimates of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion versus expectations. Vistra also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.229 per share, payable June 30.

Karras Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,936 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,000. Vistra comprises about 1.1% of Karras Company Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its holdings in Vistra by 2,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 74.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $233.33.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $156.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $52.73 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.43. The company's 50-day moving average is $154.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.07.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders 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%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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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