Cynosure Group LLC Takes $705,000 Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Key Points

• Cynosure Group LLC has acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. worth approximately $705,000, purchasing 6,000 shares during the 1st quarter according to a recent SEC filing.
• Vistra recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.226 per share, representing a yield of 0.4%, which is an increase from their previous dividend.
• Several analysts have upgraded Vistra's stock ratings, with Morgan Stanley and UBS raising their price objectives, reflecting a consensus price target of $186.69 and an overall average rating of "Moderate Buy."

Cynosure Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $705,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Paloma Partners Management Co increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.0% in the first quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,198 shares of the company's stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $898,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 4.9% during the first quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,321,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $34,259,158.22. This trade represents a 33.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction of $4,291,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% 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 worth $47,461,490 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $186.69.

Vistra Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of Vistra stock traded down $3.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $202.35. The stock had a trading volume of 4,060,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,336,773. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $188.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.90. The stock has a market cap of $68.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.27, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $72.90 and a 12 month high of $216.85.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 104.02% and a net margin of 12.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

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.