Clearfield Capital Management LP Grows Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Clearfield Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 59,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,900 shares during the period. Vistra comprises approximately 6.9% of Clearfield Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Clearfield Capital Management LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $11,559,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Vistra by 24.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased 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 worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 0.3%

VST opened at $159.09 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $163.48 and a 200 day moving average of $178.34. The company has a market cap of $53.90 billion, a PE ratio of 73.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a $0.228 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.40.

Insider Activity

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

Vistra 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.