Bank of Nova Scotia Grows Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 201.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 87,473 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 58,499 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Vistra were worth $17,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Anson Funds Management LP lifted its holdings in Vistra by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Anson Funds Management LP now owns 15,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,939,000 after buying an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,506,357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,125,000 after acquiring an additional 150,000 shares during the last quarter. JAT Capital Mgmt LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,567,000. Alden Global Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alden Global Capital LLC now owns 51,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,050,000 after acquiring an additional 10,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Vistra by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 81,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,884,000 after acquiring an additional 18,561 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $161.91 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $163.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.98. The stock has a market cap of $54.86 billion, a PE ratio of 74.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. Equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a $0.228 dividend. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.40.

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.