Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 23.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 393,406 shares of the company's stock after selling 120,936 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Vistra worth $46,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,611.8% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 291 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 2,540.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 396 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 0.5%

VST traded down $1.01 on Thursday, reaching $196.00. 4,350,807 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,648,333. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $66.50 and a one year high of $200.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The company has a market cap of $66.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.19.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were given a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $160.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $176.92.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $8,792,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $48,136,200. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.