Mitchell Capital Management Co. Reduces Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Mitchell Capital Management Co. reduced its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 10.7%, now owning 42,835 shares valued at approximately $8.27 million, making it the firm's 13th largest holding.
• Major institutional investments have been observed, with Banque Transatlantique SA increasing its position by 132% and several other firms entering new stakes during the first quarter.
• Vistra recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share from $0.23, which represents an annualized yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 14.35%.

Mitchell Capital Management Co. cut its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,835 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,112 shares during the quarter. Vistra makes up approximately 1.5% of Mitchell Capital Management Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Mitchell Capital Management Co.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $8,268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Banque Transatlantique SA increased its position in shares of Vistra by 132.0% during the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 275.4% during the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $39,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. Scotiabank began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $227.85.

Vistra Stock Down 6.1%

VST stock opened at $197.17 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The company's 50 day moving average is $200.48 and its 200 day moving average is $173.22. The stock has a market cap of $66.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. Sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a $0.226 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,365 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.55, for a total value of $4,434,305.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 269,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,907,328.40. This represents a 7.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 463,350 shares of company stock valued at $95,374,138 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.

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