Bensler LLC Raises Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Bensler LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 5.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,991 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,445 shares during the quarter. Vistra accounts for approximately 1.8% of Bensler LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Bensler LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $16,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Vistra by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth $269,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 41.1% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.20.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $51,772,476. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 176,321 shares of company stock valued at $30,615,754 over the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 0.9%

VST opened at $158.72 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $167.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.227 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. 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 presently 32.85%.

Vistra Company 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.