Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Acquired by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 6.8%, owning 74,360 shares valued at approximately $8.73 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Vistra, with price targets ranging from $201.43 to $295.00 from various firms.
• Vistra recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226, an increase from the previous $0.23, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,360 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,761 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $8,733,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $633,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the company's stock worth $831,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 25.2% during the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,131 shares of the company's stock worth $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,639 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 12,363 shares of the company's stock worth $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 3,307 shares during the period. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 125.0% during the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 1,537 shares of the company's stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 255,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,084,418. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VST. Melius began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.43.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST traded down $7.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $189.33. The company had a trading volume of 3,995,743 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,218,739. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.90 and a 1-year high of $216.85. The company has a market cap of $64.15 billion, a PE ratio of 30.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day moving average of $195.51 and a 200-day moving average of $159.19.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released 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 108.41%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. 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.