Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires Shares of 159,775 Vistra Corp. $VST

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 159,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,019,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.62.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $163.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The stock has a market cap of $55.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.33 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $156.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $158.47.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Vistra Company 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.