Virtu Financial LLC Purchases 21,353 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC significantly increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 897.6% in Q1, owning 23,732 shares valued at approximately $2.79 million.
• Vistra recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226 per share, marking a slight increase from the previous $0.23 dividend, with an annualized yield of 0.4%.
• Despite a market cap of $68.66 billion, Vistra's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $1.01, missing the expected $1.63, with revenue also falling short of forecasts.

Virtu Financial LLC grew its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 897.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,732 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,353 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Capital International Investors bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $286,414,000. Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $149,451,000. D1 Capital Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $92,649,000. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 1,773,499 shares of the company's stock worth $244,512,000 after purchasing an additional 657,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 10,810.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction of $4,291,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 0.9%

Vistra stock traded up $1.85 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $207.13. 1,046,266 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,206,729. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $190.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $72.90 and a 52-week high of $216.85.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The business 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $229.00 target price (up from $191.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $192.62.

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.