Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by MetLife Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 1.8% during the first quarter, now holding 103,114 shares valued at approximately $12.1 million.
• Vistra Corp. is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.226 per share on September 30, up from $0.23, reflecting a 0.5% dividend yield.
• Recent analysis shows a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Vistra's stock, with a price target average of approximately $199.93.

MetLife Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 103,114 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,870 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $12,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.9% during the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 73,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,680,000 after acquiring an additional 1,387 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at $341,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at $432,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 29.1% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 255,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,021,000 after acquiring an additional 57,551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.9% during the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,955 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $201.43.

Vistra Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $2.37 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $196.97. The stock had a trading volume of 3,373,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,331,695. The company has a market capitalization of $66.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.90 and a 1-year high of $216.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $195.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.04.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. On average, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be given 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 presently 14.35%.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at $13,037,649.82. This trade represents a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.