Short Interest in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Rises By 20.4%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 20.4% to 11,237,560 shares as of April 15, giving a days-to-cover of 3.3 and about 3.4% of shares sold short.
• Analysts hold a consensus Buy rating with a consensus price target of $235.87, well above the recent share price (around $153.48).
• EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares (insiders own 0.92%), and Vistra missed Q1 estimates—EPS $2.18 vs. $2.45 expected and revenue $4.58B vs. $5.75B expected.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 11,237,560 shares, a growth of 20.4% from the March 31st total of 9,333,104 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,392,087 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Scotiabank raised their target price on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 24.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 20.0% in the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Down 4.7%

Shares of VST stock opened at $153.48 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $51.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $160.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.25. Vistra has a one year low of $122.30 and a one year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. Analysts predict that Vistra will post 8.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.94%.

About Vistra

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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