Quantum Portfolio Management LLC Boosts Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Quantum Portfolio Management LLC boosted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 102.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,195 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,167 shares during the period. Vistra accounts for approximately 0.7% of Quantum Portfolio Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Effects LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 4.0% in the second quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $631,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Forefront Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.40.

Vistra Stock Down 7.4%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $166.93 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.56 billion, a PE ratio of 60.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. On average, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a $0.227 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $38,137,265.25. The trade was a 21.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,842,690.90. The trade was a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 257,624 shares of company stock valued at $46,385,682. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.