Vistra Corp. $VST Position Reduced by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors cut its Vistra stake by 30.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,414 shares and leaving it with 26,086 shares worth about $4.2 million. Despite that trim, institutional investors still own 90.88% of the stock.
• 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 forecasts of $5.22 billion. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Buy with a target price around $230.44.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 0.5%. Meanwhile, several insiders sold shares recently, including a director and the chief accounting officer.

Pacer Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 30.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,086 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,414 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $4,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $746,729,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $322,660,000. Amundi grew its holdings in Vistra by 72.3% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company's stock worth $314,524,000 after acquiring an additional 817,876 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 585.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company's stock worth $146,425,000 after acquiring an additional 775,104 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 35,088 shares of company stock worth $5,634,227 over the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE:VST opened at $167.35 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $159.50.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's payout ratio is 15.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VST. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Vistra Company Profile

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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