Versor Investments LP Invests $593,000 in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Versor Investments LP has acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp., purchasing 5,050 shares worth approximately $593,000 during the first quarter.
• Vistra recently reported a missed earnings estimate, with EPS of $1.01 against an expected $1.63, and revenue of $4.25 billion, below forecasts of $5.15 billion.
• The company has declared an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, which will be paid on September 30th, with an annualized yield of 0.5%.

Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 5,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $593,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $209,149,000. Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $149,451,000. D1 Capital Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $92,649,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 10,810.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 633,471 shares of the company's stock worth $74,395,000 after purchasing an additional 627,665 shares during the period. Finally, PointState Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 176.7% during the fourth quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 929,533 shares of the company's stock worth $128,155,000 after purchasing an additional 593,585 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This trade represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $18,579,650. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock traded up $0.0160 on Friday, reaching $190.2960. 3,444,858 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,641,922. The firm's 50 day moving average is $194.24 and its 200-day moving average is $158.34. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $72.90 and a one 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 firm has a market cap of $64.48 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.