Sapient Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 1,173,479 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,173,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,202,000. Vistra comprises about 1.1% of Sapient Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Sapient Capital LLC owned about 0.33% of Vistra as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 15,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $611,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the period. Westover Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,877,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 56,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,188,000 after purchasing an additional 6,579 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,313,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,640,000 after purchasing an additional 334,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 401.7% during the fourth quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 37,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 30,398 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE:VST traded up $1.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $81.49. The stock had a trading volume of 5,588,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,651,998. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $22.69 and a twelve month high of $83.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26. The company has a market capitalization of $28.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.02.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 19th will be paid a $0.218 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 18th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.02%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total value of $5,114,019.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $15,069,030.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397 over the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.20.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.