NorthRock Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• NorthRock Partners LLC has acquired a new position in Vistra Corp., purchasing 3,133 shares valued at approximately $607,000 during the second quarter.
• Vistra recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226, reflecting a boost from the previous $0.23, resulting in an annual yield of 0.4%.
• Analysts have set a consensus rating of "Buy" for VST stock, with an average price target projected at $227.58.

NorthRock Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $607,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the first quarter worth $209,149,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,341.6% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 865,562 shares of the company's stock worth $167,755,000 after acquiring an additional 830,111 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 102.5% in the first quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 973,339 shares of the company's stock worth $114,309,000 after acquiring an additional 492,765 shares in the last quarter. 140 Summer Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth $56,876,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 52.2% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 943,057 shares of the company's stock worth $109,761,000 after acquiring an additional 323,264 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $205.55 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $200.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $174.07. The company has a market cap of $69.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.78, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued 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 analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. Sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a $0.226 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. This represents a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 463,350 shares of company stock valued at $95,374,138 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several research reports. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $230.00 price target (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $227.58.

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.

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