5,164 Shares in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Bought by Costello Asset Management INC

Key Points

• Costello Asset Management INC acquired 5,164 shares of Vistra Corp. valued at approximately $606,000 during the 1st quarter, indicating ongoing institutional interest in the company.
• Vistra Corp. recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226, up from $0.23, with a dividend yield of 0.4% and a payout ratio of 14.15%.
• Analysts have set multiple price targets for Vistra, with UBS Group raising their expectation to $230.00 and Morgan Stanley to $186.00, reflecting a generally positive outlook on the stock.

Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $606,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Vistra by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,261,000 after acquiring an additional 296,714 shares in the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP increased its position in Vistra by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,964,222 shares of the company's stock worth $408,677,000 after buying an additional 353,949 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,206,046 shares of the company's stock worth $304,148,000 after buying an additional 106,803 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $286,414,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,072,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,674,000 after acquiring an additional 132,530 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on VST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.69.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $34,259,158.22. The trade was a 33.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,084,418. This represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490 in the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE:VST traded up $4.54 on Thursday, hitting $205.39. 8,939,814 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,090,072. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $187.98 and a 200-day moving average of $156.24. The stock has a market cap of $69.69 billion, a PE ratio of 32.29, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $72.90 and a fifty-two week high of $216.85.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.15%.

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.