Sapient Capital LLC Takes Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,173,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,202,000. Vistra comprises about 1.1% of Sapient Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Sapient Capital LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Vistra at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in Vistra by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 17,214 shares of the company's stock worth $662,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,090 shares of the company's stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 160.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,346 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,470,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $82.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $67.20.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $1.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $81.49. The company had a trading volume of 5,588,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,651,998. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $22.69 and a 52 week high of $83.03. The business's 50 day moving average price is $66.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.17. The stock has a market cap of $28.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.218 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 18th. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 24.02%.

About Vistra

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.