Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Bought by Fisher Funds Management LTD

Key Points

• Fisher Funds Management sharply boosted its Vistra stake in the first quarter, increasing holdings by 2,111.7% to 140,089 shares worth about $21.1 million.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.87 versus estimates of $1.32 and revenue of $5.64 billion, both ahead of expectations.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, while analysts remain broadly bullish with an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Fisher Funds Management LTD grew its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 2,111.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 140,089 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 133,755 shares during the quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD's holdings in Vistra were worth $21,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Payden & Rygel grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% in the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,875,000. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Vistra by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,768,694 shares of the company's stock worth $285,343,000 after purchasing an additional 192,274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Vistra by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 188,921 shares of the company's stock worth $30,479,000 after purchasing an additional 48,378 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. The trade was a 25.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,088 shares of company stock worth $5,634,227. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $230.44.

Vistra Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $163.59 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.40 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $154.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.24%.

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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