Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by October Effect Ltd

October Effect Ltd cut its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 43.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,649 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,627 shares during the period. Vistra accounts for about 2.7% of October Effect Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. October Effect Ltd’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,478,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 0.2%

Vistra stock opened at $160.08 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.79, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $167.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $90.51 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.227 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,854 shares in the company, valued at $13,842,690.90. The trade was a 9.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 196,794 shares of company stock valued at $34,784,876. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America lowered 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. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.20.

Vistra 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.