Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Buys 43,969 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 711.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,146 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 43,969 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Clearfield Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Vistra by 9.1% in the third quarter. Clearfield Capital Management LP now owns 59,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,559,000 after acquiring an additional 4,900 shares in the last quarter. Coatue Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.7% during the third quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 512,811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,470,000 after acquiring an additional 36,642 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 32.2% during the third quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 2,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 593 shares in the last quarter. Clear Street Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,902,000. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 97.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 3,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $663,000 after purchasing an additional 1,669 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST opened at $159.09 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $163.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.34. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $90.51 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.31, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.40.

About Vistra

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.