Quantbot Technologies LP Raises Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 13.3%, now holding 17,373 shares worth approximately $2,040,000.
• Insider activity includes significant shares sold by executives, with EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore reducing her position by 28.44% and Director John R. Sult decreasing his by 24.77% in recent transactions.
• Vistra recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, reflecting a slight increase from the previous dividend of $0.23, with a payout ratio currently at 14.35%.

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 13.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,373 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,046 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,040,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its holdings in Vistra by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,198 shares of the company's stock worth $493,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 0.5% during the first quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 19,760 shares of the company's stock worth $2,321,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,409 shares of the company's stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 4.9% during the first quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock traded down $0.56 on Monday, reaching $189.90. The company had a trading volume of 2,720,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,059,995. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $72.90 and a 1 year high of $216.85. The company's fifty day moving average is $194.24 and its 200 day moving average is $158.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $64.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. On average, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction of $4,291,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,084,418. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $18,579,650 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Melius started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.93.

Vistra Company Profile

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.