Vistra Corp. $VST Holdings Increased by Clearline Capital LP

Clearline Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 139.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 243,445 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 141,630 shares during the quarter. Vistra accounts for approximately 1.9% of Clearline Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Clearline Capital LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $39,275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $746,729,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $322,660,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 72.3% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,524,000 after buying an additional 817,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $145,987,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,088 shares of company stock worth $1,634,227. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $158.57 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $132.66 and a one year high of $219.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $153.85 and its 200 day moving average is $159.72. The stock has a market cap of $53.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56 and a beta of 1.40. 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) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Vistra 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.