Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P. Grows Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 224,610 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 84,210 shares during the quarter. Vistra makes up 5.8% of Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $44,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VST. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.1% during the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Wealth Effects LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Asset Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC now owns 2,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $159.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $90.51 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $163.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.46. The firm has a market cap of $53.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.31, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%.The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.