Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Buys 1,248 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Miller Howard Investments Inc. increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 5.7%, owning a total of 23,044 shares valued at $4.47 million after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares in the second quarter.
• Vistra Corp. reported earnings per share of $1.01 for the most recent quarter, missing analysts' expectations, with revenue of $4.25 billion versus an expected $5.15 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226 per share, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.23, contributing to an annualized yield of 0.4%.

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 5.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,044 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,248 shares during the quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY's holdings in Vistra were worth $4,466,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,190,462 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,102,000 after buying an additional 11,386 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,083,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,166,000 after acquiring an additional 57,358 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $209,149,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,470,680 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,717,000 after acquiring an additional 118,230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,352,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,462,000 after acquiring an additional 161,743 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Scotiabank began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Daiwa America raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $230.00 target price (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $213.00.

Vistra Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of Vistra stock traded down $9.89 on Tuesday, hitting $208.03. 3,198,355 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,763,915. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $198.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.34. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. 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 (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 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 190,847 shares of company stock valued at $39,921,480 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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.