Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Invests $22.62 Million in Vistra Corp. $VST

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 115,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,619,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VST. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its stake in Vistra by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Effects LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 1.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Asset Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the third quarter. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC now owns 2,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $163.89 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $90.51 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $163.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.13. The company has a market capitalization of $55.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%.The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

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.