Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC Invests $4.36 Million in Vistra Corp. $VST

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 29,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,360,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 74.8% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock opened at $158.47 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.52. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $53.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.55 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.31.

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.