Sicart Associates LLC Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. $VST

Sicart Associates LLC bought a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 35,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,324,000. Vistra comprises approximately 1.3% of Sicart Associates LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VST. Premier Financial Group acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd purchased a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Silicon Valley Capital Partners purchased a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Latitude Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $73,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% 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. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $138.15 on Monday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $196.80. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.37 billion, a PE ratio of 23.34 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly 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 business 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be given a $0.2310 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 15.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group set a $176.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Lake Street Capital set a $194.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Vistra from $196.00 to $194.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.43.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.