Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Grows Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management increased its Vistra stake by 14.8% in the second quarter, adding 57,852 shares to own 449,148 shares worth approximately $71.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic, with Vistra receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $226.94, despite the stock trading down 1.8% to $136.43.
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, reporting adjusted earnings of $0.76 per share versus the $1.61 consensus and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion expected. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% yield.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 449,148 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 57,852 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.13% of Vistra worth $71,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $226.94.

Vistra Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE:VST opened at $136.43 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.05 and a beta of 1.41. The business's 50 day moving average is $153.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. On average, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

Vistra Profile

Vistra NYSE: VST is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company's operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra's core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.

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