Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 11,183 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management trimmed its Vistra position by 4.2% in Q3, selling 11,183 shares and leaving it with 255,532 shares (about 0.08% of the company) valued at roughly $50.06 million.
• Vistra reported an earnings miss (EPS $2.18 vs. $2.45 expected) and lower revenue ($4.58B vs. $5.75B), but raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228 and retains a consensus Wall Street rating of "Buy" with a $236.40 target.

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 4.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 255,532 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,183 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.08% of Vistra worth $50,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp raised its position in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd 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 bought a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST opened at $158.76 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The stock has a market cap of $53.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.16, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.42. The company's 50 day moving average is $163.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.50.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Evercore upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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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