Legal Advantage Investments Inc. Increases Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Legal Advantage Investments Inc. has significantly increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 102.4%, owning 8,300 shares worth approximately $975,000 as of the latest quarter.
• Several institutional investors have made substantial investments in Vistra, including HM Payson & Co., which raised its stake by 275.4%.
• Analysts have raised price targets for Vistra, with Jefferies Financial Group boosting it from $145.00 to $241.00 and issuing a "buy" rating, indicating strong market confidence.

Legal Advantage Investments Inc. boosted its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 102.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,300 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,200 shares during the period. Legal Advantage Investments Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HM Payson & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 275.4% during 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. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Down 2.6%

NYSE:VST traded down $5.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $197.19. The company had a trading volume of 4,021,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,030,360. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The firm has a market cap of $66.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.30. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $191.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.34. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $72.90 and a twelve month high of $216.85.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $192.62.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was 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 represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490 in the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Company Profile

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.