Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 384,791 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93,794 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $75,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VST. ELCO Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $499,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co purchased a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $292,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $1,241,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.7% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,099,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,830,000 after purchasing an additional 35,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,973.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 362,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,477,000 after purchasing an additional 344,707 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $153.07 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $165.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total value of $1,424,763.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,842,690.90. This trade represents a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,772,476. This represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 166,680 shares of company stock valued at $28,761,790. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Vistra from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.20.

Vistra Company 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.