Energy Income Partners LLC Takes Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Energy Income Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 477,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,698,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted 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 grew its holdings in Vistra by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 3.9%

NYSE:VST opened at $140.39 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.25. The company has a market capitalization of $47.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company 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.