Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Increases Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 24.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,533 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,888 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $5,724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA grew its position in shares of Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. City State Bank boosted its stake in Vistra by 210.0% during 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 purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $177.14 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $60.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $193.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.63. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. This represents a 21.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total transaction of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 868,339 shares of company stock valued at $173,242,584. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.20.

Vistra 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.