Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 379,071 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 611.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 441,111 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 379,071 shares during the quarter. Vistra accounts for about 0.4% of Empowered Funds LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $66,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $322,660,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 72.3% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,425,000 after buying an additional 775,104 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.12.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $157.09 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.35. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The company has a market capitalization of $52.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.41%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

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.