Northern Trust Corp Has $362.17 Million Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 1.9%, now holding approximately $362.17 million worth of shares.
• Several institutional investors have modified their positions in Vistra, with 90.88% of the stock now owned by these groups.
• Vistra Corp. declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226, representing a positive change from its previous dividend of $0.23.

Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,083,842 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 57,358 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.91% of Vistra worth $362,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $46,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock traded up $0.0160 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $190.2960. 3,444,858 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,641,922. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $194.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.34. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $72.90 and a fifty-two week high of $216.85. The stock has a market cap of $64.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

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 value of $4,291,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 110,000 shares of company stock worth $18,579,650. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group increased 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $199.93.

Vistra 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.