Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Reduces Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors cut its Vistra stake by 19% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,705 shares and leaving it with 32,785 shares worth about $5.29 million.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, posting $2.87 EPS versus the $1.32 estimate and revenue of $5.64 billion versus the $5.22 billion consensus.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, while Wall Street remains upbeat with an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 19.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,785 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,705 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $5,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company's stock worth $6,709,519,000 after buying an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Vistra by 0.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company's stock worth $895,872,000 after buying an additional 35,258 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 11.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,983,868 shares of the company's stock worth $584,599,000 after buying an additional 303,573 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,344,142 shares of the company's stock worth $459,264,000 after buying an additional 16,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its position in Vistra by 9.5% during the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 2,056,544 shares of the company's stock worth $402,951,000 after buying an additional 178,835 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $160.02 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $53.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 1.43. 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 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.30.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $233.33.

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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