The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Cuts Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 16.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 167,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,741 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Vistra were worth $26,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Vistra by 95.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,638,000 after buying an additional 86,393 shares during the period. Payden & Rygel grew its stake in Vistra by 3,118.2% during the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,711,000 after buying an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $29,875,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 36,588 shares of company stock worth $5,914,427. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $139.90 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.61. The company has a market capitalization of $46.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.63 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Mizuho started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price objective on the stock. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 target price on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.53.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.