Vistra Corp. $VST Stock: CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Raises Holdings

Key Points

• NXG Investment Management increased its Vistra stake by 13.1% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 224,000 shares valued at approximately $31 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of Vistra.
• Vistra shares opened at $141.84, well below their 12-month high of $203.66. The company’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, reporting $0.76 in EPS versus the $1.61 consensus estimate and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion expected.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $210.38 price target, while Vistra raised its quarterly dividend to $0.23 per share, equivalent to a 0.6% annual yield.

CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 224,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 26,000 shares during the quarter. Vistra comprises about 1.4% of CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT owned about 0.07% of Vistra worth $30,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $4,610,496,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $468,354,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $381,938,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $262,169,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $138,267,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $141.84 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $203.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, October 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. HSBC assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $210.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total value of $3,558,631.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% 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. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vistra Company 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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