67,245 Shares in Vistra Corp. $VST Acquired by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems acquired 67,245 Vistra shares worth approximately $10.7 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a broadly bullish view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $223.53, well above Vistra’s recent $151.80 share price.
• Vistra reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings per share of $0.76 versus $1.61 expected and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion forecast. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 67,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,667,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,152,000. This trade 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. Insiders have sold 31,988 shares of company stock valued at $5,178,427 over the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on VST shares. TD Cowen cut 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. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $212.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.53.

Vistra Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $151.80 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $50.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.64 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The business's 50 day moving average is $148.98 and its 200-day moving average is $154.40.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

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.

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