Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $167.76 Million Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management S.A. significantly increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 2,341.6% during the second quarter, owning approximately 0.26% of the company, worth $167.76 million after acquiring over 830,000 additional shares.
• Analysts have issued positive ratings for Vistra, with price targets ranging from $207.00 to $241.00, indicating strong confidence in the stock's potential growth.
• Vistra Corp. recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, marking a rise from the previous dividend, signifying the company's robust financial health.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 2,341.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 865,562 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 830,111 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.26% of Vistra worth $167,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 132.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 275.4% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of VST stock traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $211.08. 9,186,274 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,842,753. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $217.90. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $198.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target for the company. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Three 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $210.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total transaction of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,121 shares of company stock worth $30,849,036. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company 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.