Principle Wealth Partners LLC Purchases 3,950 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Principle Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 35.6%, acquiring an additional 3,950 shares for a total of 15,030 shares valued at approximately $2.91 million.
• Vistra's CEO, James A. Burke, sold 21,371 shares valued at about $4.37 million, which represented a 6.91% decrease in his ownership position.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226, reflecting a positive change from its previous dividend and yielding about 0.5% annually.

Principle Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 35.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,030 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,950 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,913,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Vistra by 0.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,190,462 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,102,000 after purchasing an additional 11,386 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Vistra by 1.9% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,083,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,166,000 after purchasing an additional 57,358 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $209,149,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 8.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,470,680 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,717,000 after purchasing an additional 118,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 1.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,327,653 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,920,000 after purchasing an additional 19,679 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,371 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.57, for a total value of $4,371,865.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 287,859 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $58,887,315.63. This represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 632,966 shares of company stock valued at $130,462,677. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of VST stock opened at $185.77 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $199.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.12. The company has a market capitalization of $62.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.63, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were given a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $229.31.

Vistra Company 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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