Private Advisor Group LLC Grows Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Key Points

• Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 23.8% during the first quarter, owning 14,852 shares valued at $1,744,000.
• Insider trades indicate a decrease in ownership among executives, with Scott B. Helm selling 50,000 shares and EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore selling 35,000 shares in recent transactions.
• Vistra recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.225 per share, reflecting a 0.47% yield, up from the previous $0.22 dividend.

Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 23.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,852 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,857 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,744,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VST. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $5,650,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $192.30 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $179.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.89. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $66.50 and a 52 week high of $207.12. The company has a market capitalization of $65.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.24, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. 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. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.69.

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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