Thames Capital Management LLC Sells 17,036 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Thames Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 26.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 47,648 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,036 shares during the period. Thames Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Effects LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.0% during the second quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the second quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $631,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $472,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VST. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,137,265.25. This represents a 21.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 278,995 shares of company stock valued at $50,757,547. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $180.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $61.07 billion, a PE ratio of 65.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $188.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a $0.227 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.85%.

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.