L & S Advisors Inc Has $4.77 Million Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• L & S Advisors Inc cut its Vistra stake by 59.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 43,762 shares and ending with 29,581 shares valued at about $4.77 million.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.87 versus estimates of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion versus expectations of $5.22 billion.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, while Wall Street remains generally bullish with an average Buy rating and a mean price target of $233.93.

L & S Advisors Inc cut its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 59.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,581 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,762 shares during the period. L & S Advisors Inc's holdings in Vistra were worth $4,772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Vistra by 15.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company's stock worth $1,392,299,000 after acquiring an additional 930,912 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 35,258 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 303,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 16,321 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $139.92 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $137.81 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $156.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.22 billion. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. 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 payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $233.93.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.