Fifth Third Bancorp Raises Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 8.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 69,656 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,439 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Vistra were worth $13,647,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Empowered Funds LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Vistra by 37.3% during 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 acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $269,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 102.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 1,911 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Up 5.1%

VST stock opened at $171.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $58.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.89, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $162.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $182.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. KeyCorp began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price for the company. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $237.53.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total value of $1,424,763.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,842,690.90. This trade represents a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.