Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 2,147.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 57,186 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,642 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $8,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $746,729,000. Payden & Rygel grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% in the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,711,000 after buying an additional 34,300 shares in the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,875,000. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,768,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,343,000 after buying an additional 192,274 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 188,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,479,000 after acquiring an additional 48,378 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $163.69 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $154.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $159.33. The firm has a market cap of $55.19 billion, a PE ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.31.

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.