Clearline Capital LP Acquires New Shares in Vistra Corp. $VST

Clearline Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 114,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,434,000. Vistra comprises approximately 0.8% of Clearline Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 275.4% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $187.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $195.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $159.82. The stock has a market cap of $63.61 billion, a PE ratio of 29.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.34. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $72.90 and a 52 week high of $216.85.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. As a group, analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a “strong-buy” rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.43.

Vistra Company 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.