abrdn plc Trims Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

abrdn plc reduced its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 392,031 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,295 shares during the period. abrdn plc owned approximately 0.11% of Vistra worth $15,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 90.4% during the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 327,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,867,000 after buying an additional 155,533 shares during the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $773,000. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $831,000. Chicago Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $2,716,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 323.6% during the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,479 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of VST opened at $70.46 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $62.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.81. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $22.67 and a twelve month high of $75.89. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $24.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.68 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 24.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were 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 approximately $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.