Leonteq Securities AG Acquires New Shares in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Leonteq Securities AG opened a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter, buying 39,546 shares valued at about $6.38 million.
• Vistra continues to attract heavy institutional ownership, with large firms like Vanguard, Invesco and Franklin Resources increasing stakes; overall, 90.88% of the stock is held by institutional investors.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.87 versus expectations of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion, while also announcing a dividend increase and maintaining a mostly bullish analyst outlook with an average Buy rating and $233.93 target price.

Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 39,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,380,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after purchasing an additional 390,157 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $895,872,000 after purchasing an additional 35,258 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew 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 grew 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 grew 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. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

VST opened at $144.15 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $154.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.39. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.15, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.22 billion. Equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $233.93.

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.

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