Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Bought by AXQ Capital LP

AXQ Capital LP increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 156.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,487 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,787 shares during the period. Vistra makes up about 0.7% of AXQ Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in Vistra by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,505,000 after buying an additional 893 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $167.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $162.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.34.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.85%.

Vistra 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.