Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 2.1%, owning 2,063,676 shares valued at approximately $242.36 million.
• Insiders at Vistra have sold 294,000 shares worth $47.46 million in the last 90 days, leading to a significant decrease in their ownership percentages.
• Vistra announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share from the previous $0.23, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,063,676 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,685 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.61% of Vistra worth $242,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 14,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,737,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its position in Vistra by 22.8% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,027 shares of the company's stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 20.1% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 2,374 shares of the company's stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $2,295,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 126.5% in the first quarter. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA now owns 453 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock traded up $9.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $209.51. 4,059,481 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,331,611. The stock's fifty day moving average is $190.14 and its 200-day moving average is $156.34. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $72.90 and a 12 month high of $216.85. The stock has a market cap of $70.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.41, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $241.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and set a $229.00 price target (up from $191.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $189.62.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,084,418. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $5,650,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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.