Horizon Investments LLC Sells 5,864 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Horizon Investments LLC has reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 30.2%, now holding 13,566 shares valued at approximately $1,593,000.
• Vistra recently reported an earnings miss with an EPS of $1.01, below the consensus estimate of $1.63, and revenue of $4.25 billion, missing the projected $5.15 billion.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, up from the previous $0.23, representing a 0.5% dividend yield.

Horizon Investments LLC cut its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 30.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,566 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,864 shares during the quarter. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Vistra by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,261,000 after purchasing an additional 296,714 shares in the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,964,222 shares of the company's stock valued at $408,677,000 after purchasing an additional 353,949 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra by 5.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $286,414,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Vistra by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,072,045 shares of the company's stock worth $285,674,000 after buying an additional 132,530 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This trade represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $18,579,650. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST traded down $5.6390 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $193.3210. The stock had a trading volume of 3,353,058 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,959,081. The company's 50-day moving average is $193.06 and its 200 day moving average is $157.80. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $72.90 and a 12-month high of $216.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The company has a market capitalization of $65.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.30.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. 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. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $192.62.

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.