Citizens National Bank Trust Department Trims Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Citizens National Bank Trust Department lessened its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 5.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,043 shares of the company’s stock after selling 712 shares during the quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,528,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VST. HM Payson & Co. increased its position in Vistra by 275.4% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 132.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 48.4% during the second quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 239 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $199.65 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $67.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $200.68 and its 200-day moving average is $171.29.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th were given a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,371 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.82, for a total value of $4,377,208.22. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 259,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,063,331.86. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders sold 379,645 shares of company stock valued at $78,263,666. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Wall Street Zen cut Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.85.

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.