Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stock Holdings Lifted by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its shareholding in Vistra Corp. by 13.4%, purchasing an additional 71,449 shares, bringing their total ownership to 606,282 shares valued at approximately $71.2 million.
• Vistra recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226, an increase from the previous quarter's dividend, with an annualized yield of 0.4%.
• A number of analyst upgrades raised Vistra's price targets significantly, with Jefferies Financial Group lifting their target from $145.00 to $241.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 13.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 606,282 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 71,449 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.18% of Vistra worth $71,202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Vistra by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,261,000 after buying an additional 296,714 shares during the period. Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,964,222 shares of the company's stock valued at $408,677,000 after acquiring an additional 353,949 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,206,046 shares of the company's stock worth $304,148,000 after acquiring an additional 106,803 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $286,414,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Vistra by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,072,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,674,000 after purchasing an additional 132,530 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the firm'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 value of $8,637,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at $44,084,418. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total value of $8,792,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,136,200. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 1.6%

VST traded down $3.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $202.35. The company had a trading volume of 4,060,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,336,773. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.90 and a 1-year high of $216.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $68.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $188.82 and a 200-day moving average of $155.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 104.02% and a net margin of 12.90%. As a group, analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given 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 dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on VST. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. UBS Group upped 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. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, 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 objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.69.

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.