The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Acquires 35,049 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 15.6%, owning about 0.08% of the company, valued at approximately $30.43 million.
• Recent analyst reports indicate optimism for Vistra, with several firms raising their price targets and many giving it a buy rating, leading to a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $201.43.
• Vistra announced a quarterly dividend of $0.226 per share, representing an increase from the previous dividend of $0.23, with a yield of 0.5%.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 15.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 259,115 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,049 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.08% of Vistra worth $30,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 73,908 shares of the company's stock worth $8,680,000 after buying an additional 1,387 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth about $341,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth about $432,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 29.1% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 255,629 shares of the company's stock worth $30,021,000 after buying an additional 57,551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,955 shares of the company's stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST stock traded down $2.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $187.73. 5,198,097 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,346,336. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.61 billion, a PE ratio of 29.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.90 and a 1-year high of $216.85.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.43.

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.