Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Bank of America Corp DE

Key Points

• Bank of America reduced its Vistra stake by 10.2% in the first quarter, selling 339,461 shares and retaining 2.98 million shares valued at approximately $448.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Vistra insiders sold 41,588 shares worth about $6.7 million over the past 90 days, including two directors’ sales conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and $229.88 price target, while Vistra’s shares recently traded near $148.49. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share and is scheduled to report results the following week.

Bank of America Corp DE reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 10.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,983,894 shares of the company's stock after selling 339,461 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 0.88% of Vistra worth $448,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 90 days. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $212 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. Morgan Stanley Raises Vistra Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra declared a quarterly common-stock dividend of $0.23 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 21. The roughly $75 million distribution provides ongoing shareholder support. Vistra Declares Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest in Vistra’s power-generation capacity could benefit from rising electricity demand associated with data centers, although regulatory limits in New York introduce uncertainty. Vistra Stock Looks Reasonable Following New York Data Center Limits
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra is scheduled to report quarterly results next week. Analysts expect earnings growth, but the company reportedly lacks the combination of estimate revisions and other indicators that typically signal a likely earnings beat. Vistra Earnings Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Shares fell sharply following an analyst downgrade, which appears to be the main recent pressure on the stock. The downgrade offsets Morgan Stanley’s more bullish view and may encourage investors to reduce exposure before earnings. Vistra Shares Down After Analyst Downgrade

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Zacks Research raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $229.88.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $148.49 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.87 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $156.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.06.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.41%.

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.

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