Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. Has $752,000 Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 112.1%, acquiring 3,383 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 6,400 shares valued at approximately $752,000.
• Insider selling was significant, with director John R. Sult selling 25,000 shares and director Scott B. Helm selling 50,000 shares, leading to decreases of 24.77% and 16.38% in their respective positions.
• Vistra announced a dividend increase to $0.226 per share, with a target payment date of September 30th, reflecting an annualized dividend of $0.90 and a yield of 0.5%.

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 112.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,400 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,383 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. 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 purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth about $34,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,084,418. This represents a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This trade represents a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on VST. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $201.43.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST traded down $7.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $189.33. 3,995,743 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,131,851. 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 twelve month low of $72.90 and a twelve month high of $216.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $195.51 and a 200 day moving average of $159.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.34.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. On average, analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a $0.226 dividend. 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. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

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.