Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Sells 9,807 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Institutional and insider selling: Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC cut its stake in Vistra by 50%, selling 9,807 shares and leaving 9,823 shares valued at $1.925M, while CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares at an average $162.05 (~$3.61M), trimming his ownership by 6.95%.
• Analysts and results: The consensus rating is a "Buy" with a $236.40 target after several upgrades and price‑target changes, even as Vistra missed Q earnings and revenue estimates (EPS $2.18 vs. $2.45; revenue $4.58B vs. $5.75B) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228 ($0.91 annualized, 0.6% yield).

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,823 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,807 shares during the quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Vistra Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $163.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $55.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.53, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. The stock's 50-day moving average is $163.65 and its 200 day moving average is $179.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.94%.

Vistra 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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