Vistra Corp. $VST Stock Holdings Increased by Legal & General Group Plc

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc boosted its Vistra stake by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 192,274 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,768,694 shares valued at about $285.3 million.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.87 versus the $1.32 analyst estimate and revenue of $5.64 billion, both ahead of expectations.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, while Wall Street remains generally positive with a consensus Buy rating and average target price of $233.33.

Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,768,694 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 192,274 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.52% of Vistra worth $285,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST opened at $164.17 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $154.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.48. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The company has a market capitalization of $55.36 billion, a PE ratio of 27.50 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VST. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $233.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company 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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