Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Cuts Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 18.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 103,182 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,811 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in Vistra were worth $15,511,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $322,660,000. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 72.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,524,000 after buying an additional 817,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 585.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $159.05. 2,994,153 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,869,546. 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 Corp. has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The company’s 50-day moving average is $154.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.60. The company has a market capitalization of $53.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. 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 have sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.