Sapient Capital LLC Has $103.79 Million Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 30.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 690,571 shares of the company’s stock after selling 307,210 shares during the quarter. Vistra makes up 1.6% of Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $103,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after purchasing an additional 390,157 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Vistra by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,657,891,000 after purchasing an additional 432,028 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after buying an additional 97,424 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,872,000 after buying an additional 35,258 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $229.88.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $148.49 on Monday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $50.07 billion, a PE ratio of 24.87 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.95.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Vistra News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $212 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. Morgan Stanley Raises Vistra Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra declared a quarterly common-stock dividend of $0.23 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 21. The roughly $75 million distribution provides ongoing shareholder support. Vistra Declares Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest in Vistra’s power-generation capacity could benefit from rising electricity demand associated with data centers, although regulatory limits in New York introduce uncertainty. Vistra Stock Looks Reasonable Following New York Data Center Limits
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra is scheduled to report quarterly results next week. Analysts expect earnings growth, but the company reportedly lacks the combination of estimate revisions and other indicators that typically signal a likely earnings beat. Vistra Earnings Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Shares fell sharply following an analyst downgrade, which appears to be the main recent pressure on the stock. The downgrade offsets Morgan Stanley’s more bullish view and may encourage investors to reduce exposure before earnings. Vistra Shares Down After Analyst Downgrade

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.