Viking Fund Management LLC Has $4.03 Million Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Viking Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $4,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Vistra by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after buying an additional 226,514 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,299,000 after acquiring an additional 930,912 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $930,080,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Vistra by 0.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,872,000 after acquiring an additional 35,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Vistra by 11.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,983,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,599,000 after purchasing an additional 303,573 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $152.63 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a market capitalization of $51.67 billion, a PE ratio of 70.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a fifty day moving average of $162.80 and a 200-day moving average of $176.73.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.87.

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.