Objectivity Squared LLC Invests $2.05 Million in Vistra Corp. $VST

Objectivity Squared LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 12,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,050,000. Vistra makes up about 1.2% of Objectivity Squared LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Vistra during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. The trade was a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $228.56.

Vistra Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $146.58 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.42. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis 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 15.54%.

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.