Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. Sells 44,050 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 9.6%, selling 44,050 shares during the first quarter, now owning approximately 414,434 shares valued at around $48.67 million.
• Vistra Corp. recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.23 to $0.226, signaling growth potential, with an annualized yield of 0.5%.
• Wall Street analysts are generally optimistic about Vistra, with two firms issuing a Strong Buy rating and a current average price target of $199.93 for the stock.

Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. lessened its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 9.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 414,434 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,050 shares during the period. Vistra comprises 0.6% of Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. owned 0.12% of Vistra worth $48,671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its holdings in Vistra by 1.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Oak Grove Capital LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 0.5% during the 1st 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 during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in Vistra by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,409 shares of the company's stock worth $898,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.9% in the first quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $189.90. 2,720,997 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,059,995. The business has a fifty day moving average of $194.24 and a 200 day moving average of $158.17. The company has a market capitalization of $64.34 billion, a PE ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.90 and a 1-year high of $216.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra 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 transaction, the director owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 110,000 shares of company stock worth $18,579,650 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.93.

About Vistra

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.