Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Sold by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. by 17.7%, holding 867,851 shares after selling 186,978 shares in the first quarter.
• Vistra's recent quarterly earnings fell short, reporting $1.01 EPS compared to a consensus estimate of $1.63, with revenue of $4.25 billion against an estimated $5.15 billion.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, up from $0.23, with a payout ratio of 14.35%.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 17.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 867,851 shares of the company's stock after selling 186,978 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.26% of Vistra worth $101,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VST. Amalgamated Bank increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,387 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at about $341,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the first quarter worth approximately $432,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 29.1% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 255,629 shares of the company's stock worth $30,021,000 after purchasing an additional 57,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,084,418. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 110,000 shares of company stock worth $18,579,650. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Up 0.0%

VST stock opened at $190.2960 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $194.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.17. The company has a market capitalization of $64.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.35, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $72.90 and a twelve month high of $216.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 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 the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VST. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.93.

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.

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