Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 390,157 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Vistra worth $6,709,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of VST stock opened at $164.40 on Monday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $122.30 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $160.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.76, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.49.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. Research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

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.