Vistra Corp. $VST Stake Raised by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer increased its Vistra stake by 3.1% in the third quarter, adding 12,875 shares to own 422,066 shares valued at approximately $58.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of VST.
• Vistra shares opened at $134.37, near their one-year low of $132.66 and below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company recently missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $0.76 EPS versus the $1.61 consensus.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend slightly to $0.231 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $0.92 and a 0.7% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $202.43.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 422,066 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,875 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned 0.13% of Vistra worth $58,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VST. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. grew its position in Vistra by 29.2% in the third quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. now owns 156,890 shares of the company's stock worth $21,706,000 after acquiring an additional 35,460 shares in the last quarter. Columbia Bank increased its position in shares of Vistra by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 3,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,833,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd now owns 565 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 45.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 28,355 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,923,000 after buying an additional 8,875 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST opened at $134.37 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.70 and a beta of 1.38. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $132.66 and a one year high of $196.80.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. On average, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2310 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $176.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Mizuho initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 target price on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Vistra from $196.00 to $194.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $202.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CEO James Burke bought 4,465 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction of $3,558,631.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,469,648.10. The trade was a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Profile

Vistra Corp. NYSE: VST is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.

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