Xponance Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Xponance Inc. reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,038 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,824 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Vistra by 160.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $64,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at $9,470,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at $9,470,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total transaction of $5,114,019.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:VST opened at $66.70 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $61.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.55. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $22.67 and a 52 week high of $75.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26. The stock has a market cap of $23.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63 and a beta of 1.05.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 20.05%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.215 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.02%.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.