Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 32,982 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its Vistra stake by 1.0% in the first quarter, buying 32,982 shares and bringing its total holding to 3.44 million shares worth about $516.6 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall: Vistra has an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $230.62, though JPMorgan recently trimmed its target to $231 from $240.
• Vistra reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.87 beating estimates and revenue of $5.64 billion topping expectations; the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.229 per share.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,436,880 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,982 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.02% of Vistra worth $516,616,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after buying an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company's stock worth $2,657,891,000 after acquiring an additional 432,028 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after purchasing an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Vistra by 0.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company's stock worth $895,872,000 after purchasing an additional 35,258 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $230.62.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of VST opened at $157.82 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The business's fifty day moving average is $154.26 and its 200-day moving average is $158.37. The firm has a market cap of $53.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.22 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 15.41%.

About Vistra

Vistra NYSE: VST is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company's operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra's core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.

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