Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 14.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 449,148 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 57,852 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $71,248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 19.4% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 14,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,377,000 after acquiring an additional 2,434 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,639,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,998,000 after acquiring an additional 69,369 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its stake in Vistra by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,522,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 9,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,514,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 45,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $137.81 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $150.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% 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 90 days, insiders have sold 31,988 shares of company stock valued at $5,178,427. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on VST. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings cut Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 10th. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.53.

Vistra Profile

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.