563,170 Shares in Vistra Corp. $VST Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 563,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $89,336,000. Vistra makes up about 0.5% of Empowered Funds LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $139.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $152.15 and a 200 day moving average of $155.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 15.54%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 36,588 shares of company stock worth $5,914,427 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.53.

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.