Vanguard Group Inc. Has $4.93 Billion Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 3.2%, selling 1,401,145 shares and now holding 12.34% of the company, valued at approximately $4.93 billion.
• Vistra Corp. recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.4%.
• Analysts show a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Vistra, with target prices ranging from $192.00 to $230.00 following recent upgrades from several financial institutions.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,966,083 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,401,145 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.34% of Vistra worth $4,928,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its position in Vistra by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,198 shares of the company's stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $898,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,321,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of VST traded down $3.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $202.35. The stock had a trading volume of 4,060,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,319,267. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $188.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.15. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $72.90 and a twelve month high of $216.85. The firm has a market cap of $68.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 101.61%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VST. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.69.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were 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 approximately $14,218,505.12. This represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.