Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. Makes New $1.25 Million Investment in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement invested approximately $1.25 million in Vistra Corp., acquiring 6,425 shares during the second quarter.
• Multiple analysts have upgraded Vistra's stock rating, with a consensus average rating of "Buy" and a target price around $210.71.
• Vistra recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226, reflecting an annual yield of 0.4%, to be paid on September 30th.

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,245,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HM Payson & Co. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 275.4% during the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Banque Transatlantique SA increased its stake in Vistra by 132.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $37,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Melius Research upgraded shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $210.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,361 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.56, for a total transaction of $4,540,494.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 227,968 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,456,878.08. This trade represents a 8.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders sold 148,121 shares of company stock worth $30,849,036. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE:VST traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $211.08. 9,186,274 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,842,753. The company has a market capitalization of $71.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $198.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.52. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $217.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.35%.

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.