Nuveen LLC Makes New $209.15 Million Investment in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC recently acquired a new investment position in Vistra Corp., purchasing approximately 1.78 million shares valued at around $209.15 million, which equates to about 0.52% of the company's stock.
• Vistra Corp. has declared a $0.226 quarterly dividend to be paid on September 30th, representing an increase from its previous dividend of $0.23, equating to an annual yield of 0.5%.
• Despite the decline in recent earnings, analysts have shown optimism, with UBS Group raising its price target on Vistra to $230.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating.

Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,780,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $209,149,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.52% of Vistra as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in Vistra by 1.9% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 73,908 shares of the company's stock worth $8,680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $341,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $432,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 29.1% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 255,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,021,000 after acquiring an additional 57,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.9% during the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,955 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction of $4,291,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total value of $16,953,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $34,259,158.22. This represents a 33.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 0.9%

VST stock opened at $200.38 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $189.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.90 and a 1-year high of $216.85. The stock has a market cap of $68.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.30.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a return on equity of 104.02% and a net margin of 12.90%. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $241.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.69.

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.

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