Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Takes Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought 160,327 Vistra shares worth approximately $25.4 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors now own 90.88% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $223.53, despite recent downgrades by Weiss Ratings and Zacks Research.
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, reporting $0.76 in adjusted EPS versus $1.61 expected and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion forecast. Shares opened at $137.16, while the company maintained its $0.23 quarterly dividend.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 160,327 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,433,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $574,499,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $468,354,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $381,938,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their position. The transaction 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, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 36,588 shares of company stock worth $5,914,427 in the last three months. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VST shares. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Vistra from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.53.

Vistra Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $137.16 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company's 50 day moving average is $151.62 and its 200 day moving average is $155.48. The company has a market cap of $46.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

About Vistra

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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