Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Purchases New Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 18,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,693,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,241,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $292,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 371,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,784,000 after purchasing an additional 122,545 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,445,000. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its position in Vistra by 6.3% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,195,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $234,280,000 after buying an additional 70,693 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on VST shares. 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 0.5%

VST opened at $164.38 on Wednesday. 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 has a market capitalization of $55.70 billion, a PE ratio of 75.75, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.42. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $163.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $178.95.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its 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). Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%.The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a $0.228 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

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.