Federated Hermes Inc. Grows Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 957,040 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 85,520 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.28% of Vistra worth $187,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 24.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% in the 1st 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. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 47.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 1,506 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. This trade represents a 21.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 166,680 shares of company stock valued at $28,761,790. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 3.4%

NYSE:VST opened at $164.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.63 billion, a PE ratio of 59.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $166.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $186.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a dividend of $0.227 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend 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 32.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted 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. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 target price on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.20.

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.