Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Takes $633,000 Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. has acquired a new position in Vistra Corp., purchasing 5,400 shares worth approximately $633,000 in the first quarter of 2023.
• Vistra Corp. reported quarterly earnings with an EPS of $1.01, missing analysts' expectations, and has a market cap of $65.50 billion.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 14.35%.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $633,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $633,000. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 2,486 shares of the company's stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Ossiam purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $738,000. MML Investors Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 32,047 shares of the company's stock worth $4,418,000 after buying an additional 10,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 78.8% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 8,556 shares of the company's stock worth $1,180,000 after buying an additional 3,770 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction of $4,291,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at $13,037,649.82. This trade represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,218,505.12. This represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock worth $18,579,650 in the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 0.0%

VST traded up $0.0160 on Friday, reaching $190.2960. 3,444,858 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,641,922. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $72.90 and a one year high of $216.85. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $194.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.34. The company has a market cap of $64.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on VST shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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 started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.