DAVENPORT & Co LLC Purchases 14,786 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 100.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,540 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,786 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $3,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,611.8% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 291 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 2,540.0% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 396 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. 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 report on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $160.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial started 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. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.92.

Vistra Stock Up 2.4%

Vistra stock traded up $4.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $191.51. The stock had a trading volume of 3,342,447 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,172,625. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $163.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.26. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $66.50 and a 1-year high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were issued a $0.225 dividend. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $8,792,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $48,136,200. This represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,259,158.22. This trade represents a 33.10% 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. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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.