Vistra Corp. $VST Position Boosted by Reaves W H & Co. Inc.

Key Points

• Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its Vistra stake by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, adding 278,763 shares and bringing its total to 2.2 million shares. The position was worth about $354.5 million and represented 6.2% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, posting earnings of $2.87 per share versus analyst expectations of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion versus $5.22 billion expected. Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $233.33.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, payable June 30, implying an annualized dividend of $0.92 and a yield of about 0.6%. Vistra also saw recent insider sales, including transactions by its CAO and EVP.

Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 14.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,197,292 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 278,763 shares during the period. Vistra makes up approximately 6.2% of Reaves W H & Co. Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. owned 0.65% of Vistra worth $354,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.33.

Vistra Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of VST stock opened at $160.10 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a market capitalization of $53.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.82 and a beta of 1.40. The business's fifty day moving average is $154.20 and its 200 day moving average is $161.89.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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