Vistra (NYSE:VST) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Vistra (NYSE:VST) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03), Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock traded up $6.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $190.65. 4,953,134 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,458,903. Vistra has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The firm has a market cap of $64.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $199.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $183.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a $0.227 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total transaction of $8,991,697.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 723,910 shares of company stock valued at $148,086,569 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $269,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 420.6% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,521,000 after acquiring an additional 9,719 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Vistra by 3.6% in the second quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,910,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Daiwa America raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. UBS Group raised their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.21.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.