Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Bought by Advent International L.P.

Key Points

• Advent International increased its Vistra stake by 11% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 208,130 shares valued at approximately $33 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of Vistra.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $223.53, despite recent target-price adjustments and Vistra’s quarterly earnings and revenue falling below expectations.
• Vistra shares opened at $139.09, near the lower end of their 12-month range, while insiders sold $5.9 million of stock over the past three months. The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

Advent International L.P. boosted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 11.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 208,130 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,675 shares during the quarter. Vistra makes up 0.2% of Advent International L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Advent International L.P. owned 0.06% of Vistra worth $33,016,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Vistra by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company's stock worth $2,657,891,000 after buying an additional 432,028 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company's stock worth $1,441,112,000 after buying an additional 97,424 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $895,872,000 after buying an additional 35,258 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This represents 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 36,588 shares of company stock worth $5,914,427. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $212.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.53.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $139.09 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a market capitalization of $46.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.50 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $152.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.70.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

Vistra 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source