Kovack Advisors Inc. Sells 1,905 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Kovack Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 79,785 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,905 shares during the period. Vistra makes up about 1.0% of Kovack Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Kovack Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VST. HM Payson & Co. raised 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 during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 2,540.0% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 396 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were 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 owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,084,418. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.69.

Vistra Stock Down 2.0%

Vistra stock 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 4,904,095. The company has a market capitalization of $65.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.26. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $66.50 and a 12 month high of $207.12. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $178.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

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.