AdvisorNet Financial Inc Acquires 865 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 179.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,347 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc’s holdings in Vistra were worth $261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 132.0% during the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% during the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price objective (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Melius began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $217.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 233,569 shares of company stock valued at $48,915,316 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of VST stock opened at $202.15 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $199.20 and a 200-day moving average of $166.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a market capitalization of $68.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.33.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 14.35%.

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.