Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Purchased by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Key Points

• Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 59.2%, owning 4,005 shares worth $470,000 at the latest reporting period.
• Recent analyst reports have raised Vistra's price targets, with Goldman Sachs setting a target of $164.00 and UBS Group raising it to $230.00.
• Vistra Corp. announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226, reflecting the company's strong financial performance and a payout ratio of 14.15%.

Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 59.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,005 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $470,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp increased 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 valued at $417,261,000 after acquiring an additional 296,714 shares during the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP increased 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 valued at $408,677,000 after acquiring an additional 353,949 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,206,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $304,148,000 after acquiring an additional 106,803 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $286,414,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,072,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,674,000 after acquiring an additional 132,530 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of Vistra stock traded down $4.66 on Tuesday, hitting $209.40. 4,587,345 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,092,355. The stock has a market cap of $71.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.92, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The firm's 50-day moving average is $186.29 and its 200 day moving average is $155.69. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $70.00 and a 52-week high of $216.85.

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 paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Three 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.69.

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.