QRG Capital Management Inc. Grows Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 6.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,265 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,628 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after purchasing an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Vistra by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,891,000 after purchasing an additional 432,028 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after purchasing an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Vistra by 0.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,872,000 after purchasing an additional 35,258 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.0%

VST stock opened at $150.98 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $154.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.92.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.229 dividend. This is an increase 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VST. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.31.

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.