Fifth Third Bancorp Raises Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 95.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 177,199 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp owned about 0.05% of Vistra worth $26,638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,709,519,000 after acquiring an additional 390,157 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Vistra by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,891,000 after acquiring an additional 432,028 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,441,112,000 after purchasing an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,872,000 after purchasing an additional 35,258 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Down 0.6%

VST opened at $157.89 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $154.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.55. The company has a market cap of $53.24 billion, a PE ratio of 26.45 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.31.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by 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.