Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Purchased by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management dramatically increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 2,147.9% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 57,186 shares valued at about $8.6 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on Vistra, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $230.31, while several analysts recently reiterated or lowered but maintained positive ratings.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and it also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, though insiders have been selling shares in recent months.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 2,147.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,186 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 54,642 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $8,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $230.31.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $163.69 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $55.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 1.40. 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 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.33.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. 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 sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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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