Cibc World Market Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Cibc World Market Inc. cut its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 18.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,092 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,493 shares during the quarter. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $6,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Vistra by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,914,427. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on VST. Mizuho started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price objective for the company. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.53.

Vistra Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of VST stock opened at $139.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $46.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.50 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $152.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.70.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

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.