Ardsley Advisory Partners LP Makes New $807,000 Investment in Vistra Corp. $VST

Ardsley Advisory Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $807,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $158.57 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $153.85 and a 200-day moving average of $159.72. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $53.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.24%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total transaction of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,088 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VST. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average 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.