Sigma Planning Corp Trims Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 50.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,778 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,164 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Vistra were worth $569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 19,070.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,566,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,426,000 after buying an additional 5,537,584 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.1% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,551,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,186,000 after buying an additional 597,875 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.5% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,190,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,228,000 after buying an additional 575,799 shares during the period. Third Point LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 8.6% during the third quarter. Third Point LLC now owns 3,604,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,589,000 after buying an additional 285,652 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 8.9% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,155,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,702,000 after buying an additional 257,264 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of VST stock opened at $70.46 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $22.67 and a fifty-two week high of $75.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $62.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.81.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 24.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at $9,470,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total transaction of $5,114,019.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $15,069,030.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397 over the last 90 days. Company 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.