Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. Invests $2.13 Million in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Peregrine Asset Advisers disclosed a new first-quarter position in Vistra Corp., buying 14,201 shares valued at about $2.13 million.
• Vistra continues to attract institutional interest, with 90.88% of its stock owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Several firms also increased their stakes during the quarter.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $230.31, while Vistra also reported strong quarterly results and recently paid a dividend.

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 14,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,135,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio boosted its holdings in Vistra by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 176,892 shares of the company's stock worth $26,592,000 after buying an additional 10,988 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 168.1% during the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 2,174 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 46.6% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 302 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 23.5% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 699 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 61.3% in the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,120 shares of the company's stock valued at $770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,945 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $230.31.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock opened at $150.98 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $132.66 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 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.91 billion, a PE ratio of 25.29 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.98.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for 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 anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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