Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Sells 23,811 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital Management cut its Vistra stake by 18.7% in Q1, selling 23,811 shares and ending with 103,182 shares valued at about $15.5 million.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, posting $2.87 EPS versus the $1.32 estimate and revenue of $5.64 billion, both ahead of expectations.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend and continues to draw mostly bullish analyst coverage, with a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $230.31.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lowered its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 18.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 103,182 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,811 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Vistra were worth $15,511,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $322,660,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company's stock worth $314,524,000 after acquiring an additional 817,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company's stock valued at $146,425,000 after acquiring an additional 775,104 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $159.05. The stock had a trading volume of 2,994,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,869,546. The business has a fifty day moving average of $154.02 and a 200 day moving average of $158.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $53.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's payout ratio is 15.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus 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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