Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,009,988 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,576 shares during the quarter. Vistra makes up 3.1% of Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $199,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after acquiring an additional 226,514 shares in the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 40.5% during the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,864,931 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Vistra by 4.4% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,196,884,000 after purchasing an additional 258,983 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth about $930,080,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Vistra by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $879,390,000 after purchasing an additional 913,350 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total value of $1,424,763.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,842,690.90. The trade was a 9.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 592,895 shares of company stock valued at $115,003,119 over the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $161.76 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $177.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.40, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.39.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%. Equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.227 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price objective (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.40.

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.