Vistra Corp. $VST Stock Holdings Lifted by Fifth Third Bancorp

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp significantly increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 59.5% during the second quarter, holding 64,217 shares valued at approximately $12.45 million.
• Vistra Corp. recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.226 per share, marking an increase from the previous amount and reflecting a 0.4% yield.
• Despite strong institutional investment, Vistra's latest earnings report revealed an EPS miss at $1.01, falling short of the expected $1.63, and reported revenue of $4.25 billion, below analyst estimates of $5.15 billion.

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 59.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,217 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,950 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Vistra were worth $12,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $209,149,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,341.6% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 865,562 shares of the company's stock worth $167,755,000 after buying an additional 830,111 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 10,810.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 633,471 shares of the company's stock worth $74,395,000 after acquiring an additional 627,665 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 102.5% in the first quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 973,339 shares of the company's stock worth $114,309,000 after acquiring an additional 492,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 140 Summer Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $56,876,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $202.15 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $90.51 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The stock's 50-day moving average is $199.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $68.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.24, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.33.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,360 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.21, for a total transaction of $4,490,085.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 238,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,139,289.20. This represents a 8.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 233,569 shares of company stock valued at $48,915,316 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on VST. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Melius started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $217.13.

Vistra Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.

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