Sanctuary Advisors LLC Buys 4,687 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,398 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,687 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $17,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 24.1% during 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 during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Vistra by 37.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP grew its stake in Vistra by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $136.43 on Monday. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $153.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. Equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on VST shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.94.

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.