Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Bought by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 14.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,722 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,247 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Vistra were worth $4,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total value of $8,792,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,136,200. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490 in the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $196.48. 3,712,766 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,167,814. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $169.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $150.57. 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 capitalization of $66.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.26. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $66.50 and a 52-week high of $200.25.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were paid a $0.225 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $160.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.92.

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.