Sandler Capital Management Sells 15,384 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Sandler Capital Management has reduced its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 45.3%, now owning 18,612 shares worth approximately $2.19 million.
• Vistra's quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share of $1.01, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $1.63, highlighting financial challenges within the company.
• Despite recent struggles, Vistra announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, indicating ongoing commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Sandler Capital Management lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 45.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,612 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,384 shares during the quarter. Sandler Capital Management's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,186,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Vistra by 0.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,190,462 shares of the company's stock worth $492,102,000 after acquiring an additional 11,386 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,083,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,166,000 after purchasing an additional 57,358 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,206,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $304,148,000 after purchasing an additional 106,803 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at $209,149,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,769,749 shares of the company's stock worth $243,995,000 after buying an additional 165,396 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $201.43.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock traded up $4.73 on Tuesday, reaching $192.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,804,206 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,845,744. The stock has a market cap of $65.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.34. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $74.50 and a 1 year high of $216.85. 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 50 day simple moving average of $195.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.08.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Vistra 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.