Aviva PLC Sells 396 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Aviva PLC decreased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 6.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,746 shares of the company’s stock after selling 396 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its stake in Vistra by 132.0% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank raised its holdings in Vistra by 210.0% in the second quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST opened at $178.19 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $198.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $186.01. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $90.51 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.33, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.30.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The business had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.227 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $234.21.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 9,641 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $1,853,964.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 298,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,491,354.10. This trade represents a 3.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 723,910 shares of company stock valued at $148,086,569. Corporate 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.