QRG Capital Management Inc. Buys 9,556 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management increased its Vistra stake by 15.6% in the second quarter, adding 9,556 shares for a total of 70,821 shares valued at approximately $11.2 million. Institutional investors own 90.88% of Vistra.
• Vistra shares opened at $137.90, down 1.8%, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.76, well below the $1.61 analyst consensus, and revenue of $4.02 billion versus expectations of $5.46 billion.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with the stock rated “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.88. Vistra also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 15.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,821 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,556 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $11,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VST. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 5.3% in the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.2% in the second quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company's stock worth $1,166,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its position in Vistra by 2.0% during the first quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $680,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of VST stock opened at $137.90 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $132.66 and a one year high of $217.10. The company's fifty day moving average price is $146.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.33. The company has a market capitalization of $46.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.29 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 target price on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $221.88.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CEO James Burke bought 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. This represents a 11.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation and retail energy businesses, serving residential, commercial, industrial and wholesale customers primarily across the United States.

Vistra's generation portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar and battery energy storage facilities. Through its retail operations, the company provides electricity, natural gas and renewable energy plans under brands that include TXU Energy, Dynegy, Homefield Energy and Ambit Energy.

The company was established in 2016 following the separation of Energy Future Holdings' competitive energy businesses.

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