Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Holdings Trimmed by Forsta AP Fonden

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 48.0%, selling 41,100 shares, and now holds 44,500 shares valued at approximately $5.23 million.
• Several analysts have recently rated Vistra with a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and a price target averaging $186.69, with some analysts giving a "strong buy" rating.
• Vistra declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, reflecting a positive change from its previous dividend of $0.23, with a yield of 0.4%.

Forsta AP Fonden decreased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 48.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,500 shares of the company's stock after selling 41,100 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Vistra were worth $5,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HM Payson & Co. increased its position in Vistra by 275.4% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 2,540.0% in 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.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,136,200. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on VST. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $241.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $229.00 target price (up from $191.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $192.62.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST traded down $4.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $205.48. The company had a trading volume of 4,109,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,248,079. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $72.90 and a fifty-two week high of $216.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $190.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.34. The firm has a market cap of $69.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend 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.