Ritholtz Wealth Management Buys New Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp, purchasing 1,800 shares valued at approximately $349,000.
• CEO James A. Burke sold 21,355 shares worth about $4.6 million, representing a 7.03% decrease in his holdings, while insiders sold a total of 590,228 shares in the last three months.
• Analysts show confidence in Vistra Corp's potential, with several firms raising their target prices and the stock holding an average rating of "Buy" with a target price of approximately $229.31.

Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $349,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 102.7% during the second quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 1,911 shares in the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at $337,000. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at $454,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in Vistra by 63.2% during the second quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 7,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,443,000 after acquiring an additional 2,883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kiker Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 611.9% during the second quarter. Kiker Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,355 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.21, for a total value of $4,595,809.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 282,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,817,700.37. This trade represents a 7.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 590,228 shares of company stock valued at $121,653,740. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Melius began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Cowen began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $229.31.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $194.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $200.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.87 billion, a PE ratio of 31.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th were issued a $0.226 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

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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