Senator Investment Group LP Trims Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Senator Investment Group LP cut its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 91.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,763 shares of the company’s stock after selling 180,000 shares during the quarter. Senator Investment Group LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST opened at $137.16 on Monday. 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 company has a market cap of $46.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $151.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.50.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.53.

Insider Transactions 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 stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 36,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,914,427 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

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.