IFP Advisors Inc Raises Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 55.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,035 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,510 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Vistra were worth $826,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Paloma Partners Management Co increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,409 shares of the company's stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.9% in the first quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,579 shares of the company's stock worth $1,321,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,980 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,100,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of VST traded down $3.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $192.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,488,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,451,015. The stock has a market cap of $65.25 billion, a PE ratio of 30.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $66.50 and a 52 week high of $207.12. The company's fifty day moving average price is $178.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.69.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $5,650,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,136,200. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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.