Vistra Corp. $VST is Alden Global Capital LLC’s 6th Largest Position

Alden Global Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 47.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 75,549 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,252 shares during the quarter. Vistra comprises about 5.7% of Alden Global Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Alden Global Capital LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $12,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $322,660,000. Amundi increased its stake in Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,524,000 after buying an additional 817,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $145,987,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,088 shares of company stock worth $1,634,227. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Vistra Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $158.57 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $53.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.72. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

About Vistra

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.