Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Key Points

• Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board has decreased its holdings in Vistra Corp. by 41.4%, now owning 11,143 shares valued at $1,309,000 as of their latest SEC filing.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, which represents an annualized dividend of $0.90 with a yield of 0.4%.
• Recent analyst ratings for Vistra include price target increases, with Jefferies Financial Group setting a target at $241.00 and ten analysts assigning a buy rating.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 41.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,143 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,874 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HM Payson & Co. grew its stake in Vistra by 275.4% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,540.0% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 396 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total value of $8,792,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $48,136,200. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on VST. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $241.00 target price on Vistra and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Three research 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, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $186.69.

Vistra Stock Down 1.6%

Vistra stock traded down $3.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $202.35. 4,060,980 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,336,773. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $72.90 and a twelve month high of $216.85. The company has a market cap of $68.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $188.82 and a 200-day moving average of $155.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 104.02%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

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.