J.Safra Asset Management Corp Purchases Shares of 1,727 Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• J.Safra Asset Management Corp has acquired 1,727 shares of Vistra Corp. for approximately $337,000, reflecting a continued interest from institutional investors in the company.
• Vistra Corp. recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, up from $0.23, while the stock has shown a 6.3% increase in price.
• Despite a recent earnings miss with reported EPS of $1.01, analysts have a generally positive outlook, with many maintaining a 'buy' rating and setting price targets above $250.

J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $337,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% during the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. lifted its position in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 6.3%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $209.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $90.51 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $200.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on VST. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $229.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $227.58.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. This represents a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 463,350 shares of company stock worth $95,374,138 in the last ninety days. 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.

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