Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Purchases 89,859 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC significantly increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 1,492.4% in Q1, owning 95,880 shares worth $11.26 million after purchasing an additional 89,859 shares.
• Vistra Corp. recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, a positive adjustment from the previous $0.23, reflecting a 0.5% dividend yield.
• Multiple analysts have increased their price targets for Vistra Corp., with UBS setting a new target of $230.00 and Goldman Sachs raising theirs to $203.00, reflecting a general consensus of a "Moderate Buy" rating.

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 1,492.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,880 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 89,859 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $11,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HM Payson & Co. lifted its stake 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 during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter worth $34,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of Vistra stock traded down $0.4990 during trading on Thursday, hitting $192.4110. 1,284,504 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,098,578. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $72.90 and a 1 year high of $216.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.72, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.04.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is a boost 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 dividend payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction of $4,291,750.00. Following the sale, the director 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $18,579,650. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.93.

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.