Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Position Decreased by Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC decreased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 5.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 252,573 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,327 shares during the period. Vistra comprises approximately 3.0% of Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $29,940,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Castle Hook Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 470.0% in the first quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 3,769,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,569,000 after acquiring an additional 3,108,511 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Vistra by 9,668.5% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,940,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,779,000 after purchasing an additional 2,910,015 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Vistra by 115.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,488 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after buying an additional 1,143,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 315.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST opened at $125.56 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $103.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.43. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $31.92 and a 52-week high of $143.87. The company has a market cap of $43.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.03 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 20th were paid a $0.2195 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 53.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.30.

About Vistra

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.