Amundi Trims Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Amundi reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 1.3% in Q1, now holding 741,670 shares valued at approximately $80.26 million.
• Vistra recently reported disappointing earnings with an EPS of $1.01, missing analysts' estimates by $0.62, and generated revenues of only $4.25 billion against an expected $5.15 billion.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, set to be paid on September 30th, which reflects a 0.5% dividend yield.

Amundi lessened its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 741,670 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,842 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned about 0.22% of Vistra worth $80,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HM Payson & Co. raised its position in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $187.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.84. The company has a market cap of $63.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $72.90 and a 52 week high of $216.85.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VST. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research raised Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Melius began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $201.43.

Vistra Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.

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