Bourgeon Capital Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Vistra Corp. $VST

Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 42,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,277,000. Vistra comprises about 1.6% of Bourgeon Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% during the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. raised its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% during the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 4.6%

Shares of VST opened at $197.71 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $66.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $200.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 276,319 shares of company stock valued at $57,544,816. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a “strong-buy” rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $218.20.

Vistra Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.