Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Buys 43,969 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 711.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 50,146 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 43,969 shares during the quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 24.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 27.4% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value 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 approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

Vistra Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $159.09 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $90.51 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $163.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.34. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 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 firm had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.94%.

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.