Picton Mahoney Asset Management Decreases Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Picton Mahoney Asset Management trimmed its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 20.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 67,539 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,631 shares during the quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management’s holdings in Vistra were worth $13,234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

VST opened at $163.42 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.37 billion, a PE ratio of 75.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $163.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.87. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.40.

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.