Mariner Investment Group LLC Purchases New Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Mariner Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 44,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,167,000. Vistra makes up 2.0% of Mariner Investment Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VST. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company's stock worth $1,174,326,000 after purchasing an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company's stock worth $417,261,000 after purchasing an additional 296,714 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $409,087,000. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,964,222 shares of the company's stock worth $408,677,000 after purchasing an additional 353,949 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial initiated 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total value of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $34,259,158.22. The trade was a 33.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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 value of $5,650,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $11.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $193.04. 6,414,225 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,118,667. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $66.50 and a 12-month high of $200.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The company has a market cap of $65.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.26. The business's fifty day moving average price is $175.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.72.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company 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. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

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.