Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Castleark Management LLC

Key Points

• Castleark Management cut its Vistra stake by 65.4% in the first quarter, selling 7,870 shares and retaining 4,160 shares valued at approximately $625,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 90.88% of Vistra.
• Vistra reported quarterly EPS of $2.87, well above the $1.32 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $5.64 billion versus expectations of $5.22 billion. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share.
• Despite the stock trading down 3.8% and recent insider selling, analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $230.12, compared with shares opening at $157.09.

Castleark Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 65.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,160 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,870 shares during the quarter. Castleark Management LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $249,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 21.9% during the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 22,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,328,000 after acquiring an additional 3,978 shares during the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at about $316,000. Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 49.8% during the 1st quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 2,420 shares of the company's stock valued at $364,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $24,019,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $157.09 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.35.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on VST. Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 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 $230.00 to $222.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $230.12.

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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