Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Bought by Gabelli Funds LLC

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 138.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,600 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $574,499,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $381,938,000. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $322,660,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $136.43 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $153.73 and its 200 day moving average is $155.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.05 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 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.