Realta Investment Advisors Buys New Shares in Vistra Corp. $VST

Realta Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 4,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $889,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VST. State Street Corp grew its stake in Vistra by 1.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,228,880,000 after purchasing an additional 226,514 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 40.5% during the 2nd quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,253,896,000 after buying an additional 1,864,931 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Vistra by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,196,884,000 after buying an additional 258,983 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $930,080,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,390,000 after acquiring an additional 913,350 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 41,426 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.32, for a total transaction of $8,339,882.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 246,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,629,809.04. This trade represents a 14.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total transaction of $9,456,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 427,240 shares of company stock worth $81,474,221. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition materially expands generation footprint — adds roughly 5.5 GW of mostly natural‑gas capacity and broadens Vistra’s supply base, positioning the company to sell firm capacity to data centers and other customers seeking reliability. Vistra Strengthens Generation Footprint With $4.7B Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/upgrades and immediate market reaction were supportive — some firms including Wells Fargo and other analysts flagged the deal and growth story, contributing to earlier upside. Vistra Energy (VST) Receives a Buy from Wells Fargo
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and momentum interest — VST surfaced as a “trending” ticker, drawing extra attention that can amplify intraday moves but may not reflect fundamentals. Vistra Corp. (VST) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector context: rivals (notably Constellation) are also capitalizing on surging data‑center demand; investors are pricing the scarcity of reliable, dispatchable power across the industry. This makes Vistra’s move strategically logical but not unique. Constellation Energy Stock: Why Nuclear Is the New Tech Trade
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns about valuation, leverage and financing risk — Vistra carries high leverage and the large cash purchase raises questions about debt funding, dilution or uses of cash; investors are reassessing after a multi‑year rally. Is It Time To Reassess Vistra (VST) After Its Strong Multi Year Rally?
• Negative Sentiment: Business mix and execution risks — the deal increases exposure to natural‑gas generation (fuel price and emissions exposure vs. nuclear/clean alternatives) and investors worry about integration, potential premium paid and near‑term earnings impact. Vistra to buy Cogentrix Energy, 10 natural gas-fired power plants in $4B deal

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Cowen started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $231.40.

Vistra Stock Down 8.8%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $154.64 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $172.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $90.51 and a 1 year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a $0.227 dividend. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 32.85%.

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.