Congress Asset Management Co. Raises Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,678 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,476 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $5,756,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Overbrook Management Corp acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,912,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 1,373.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 305,362 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,264,000 after acquiring an additional 284,632 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $634,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 440.4% during the 4th quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,142,000 after purchasing an additional 15,872 shares during the period. Finally, Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 39.9% during the 4th quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC now owns 78,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,722,000 after purchasing an additional 22,492 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of VST opened at $151.24 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $90.51 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.55.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VST. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.87.

Vistra 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.