Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Eventide Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Eventide Asset Management trimmed its Vistra stake by 4.8% in Q3, selling 23,201 shares and ending the quarter with 462,841 shares (Vistra is 1.5% of Eventide's holdings and its 13th-largest position, valued at about $90.7M).
• Vistra missed quarterly estimates, reporting $2.18 EPS versus $2.45 expected and revenue of $4.58B versus $5.75B, while posting a very high ROE of 81.09%.
• Dividend increase and positive analyst view: the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228/share (annualized $0.91, ~0.6% yield) and the consensus Street rating is "Buy" with a $236.40 target.

Eventide Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 462,841 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,201 shares during the quarter. Vistra comprises 1.5% of Eventide Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Eventide Asset Management LLC owned 0.14% of Vistra worth $90,723,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,445,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,241,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $292,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 371,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,784,000 after purchasing an additional 122,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,059,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Down 0.3%

VST stock opened at $159.09 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $163.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.34. The company has a market capitalization of $53.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%.The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is 41.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $217.00 price target for the company. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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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