Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Purchased by Westbourne Investments Inc.

Key Points

• Westbourne Investments Inc. increased its position in Vistra Corp. by 154.1% during the first quarter, now holding approximately $1.58 million worth of shares.
• Several hedge funds boosted their holdings in Vistra, contributing to a total institutional ownership of 90.88%.
• Vistra Corp. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.226, an increase from the previous $0.23, representing a yield of 0.4%.

Westbourne Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 154.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,431 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,146 shares during the quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VST. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,068 shares of the company's stock worth $1,940,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $1,454,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 85.9% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,703 shares of the company's stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 2,635 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 63,704 shares of the company's stock worth $8,783,000 after purchasing an additional 28,058 shares during the period. Finally, Interval Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $417,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on VST. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Melius Research raised Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $201.43.

Vistra Stock Up 5.0%

NYSE:VST opened at $203.45 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $195.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $160.32. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $75.21 and a 52-week high of $216.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $68.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.34.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The company 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend 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.

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