Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Increases Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 67.6%, owning approximately $41.17 million worth of shares as of the end of the most recent quarter.
• Vistra Corp. recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, reflecting a boost from the previous dividend and a current yield of 0.4%.
• Equities analysts have been optimistic about Vistra, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and a price target of $224.21 following multiple upgrades from various firms.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 67.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 212,411 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 85,664 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.06% of Vistra worth $41,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. raised its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter worth $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $224.21.

Vistra Trading Down 0.2%

Vistra stock opened at $202.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.53 billion, a PE ratio of 32.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.33. The business's fifty day moving average is $200.57 and its 200 day moving average is $170.06.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 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 108.41%. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th were given a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 19,605 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.78, for a total transaction of $3,818,661.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 253,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,438,085.70. This trade represents a 7.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold 358,274 shares of company stock worth $73,886,457 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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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