Kimelman & Baird LLC Invests $999,000 in Vistra Corp. $VST

Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 6,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $999,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $574,499,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $468,354,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $381,938,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $137.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $151.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%.The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research downgraded Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $223.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 36,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,914,427. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company 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.