Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Bought by Steamboat Capital Partners LLC

Key Points

• Steamboat Capital Partners LLC significantly increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 303.2% in the 1st quarter, now holding a total of 19,655 shares valued at $2.3 million.
• Vistra Corp. reported a net margin of 12.90% and missed earnings estimates, posting $1.01 earnings per share versus an expected $1.63.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, indicating a 0.5% dividend yield, up from the previous $0.23 per share.

Steamboat Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 303.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,655 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,780 shares during the period. Steamboat Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HM Payson & Co. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 275.4% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Up 1.2%

VST stock traded up $2.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $188.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,729,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,900,570. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.63. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $72.90 and a 1 year high of $216.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.06, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.33.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. 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. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $201.43.

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.