Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $2.44 Million in Vistra Corp. $VST

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 16,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,435,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. First American Bank lifted its stake in Vistra by 16.5% in the first quarter. First American Bank now owns 26,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,985,000 after acquiring an additional 3,745 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its position in Vistra by 28.7% during the 1st quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $502,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 10,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,522,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 38.8% in the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 2,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 35,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,391,000 after purchasing an additional 2,550 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $162.45 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The stock has a market cap of $54.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $154.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.31.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 have sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment 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, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.31.

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.