IFM Investors Pty Ltd Decreases Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd reduced its stock position in Vistra Corp by 3.9%, selling 2,577 shares during the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to 63,388 shares valued at approximately $12.29 million.
• Several brokerages have recently upgraded Vistra, with Daiwa America rating it a "strong-buy" and Jefferies Financial Group increasing their price target from $145.00 to $241.00.
• Vistra Corp. announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, with the dividend yield now at 0.4%, set to be paid on September 30th.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,388 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,577 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Vistra were worth $12,285,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its position in Vistra by 132.0% in 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 last quarter. HM Payson & Co. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 190,847 shares of company stock valued at $39,921,480. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on VST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Melius Research raised Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $213.00.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded down $9.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $208.76. 2,545,413 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,760,699. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $90.51 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $198.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.60. The stock has a market cap of $70.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.29, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.34.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 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.