Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP Sells 18,859 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors cut its Vistra stake by 54.8% in the second quarter, selling 18,859 shares and retaining 15,553 shares valued at approximately $2.47 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of Vistra.
• Vistra shares opened at $138.88, near the lower end of their 52-week range, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.76—well below the $1.61 consensus estimate—and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion expected.
• Despite the earnings miss, analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $226. Vistra also announced a $0.23 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.7% yield.

Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP decreased its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 54.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,553 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,859 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,920 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP raised its holdings in Vistra by 20.0% during the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company's stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 2.7%

Vistra stock opened at $138.88 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VST. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $226.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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