Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $19.47 Million Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 1.7%, owning a total of $19.47 million worth of shares after acquiring additional stock in the second quarter.
• Vistra announced disappointing quarterly earnings, reporting $1.01 per share, missing the consensus estimate by $0.62, with revenues of $4.25 billion against an expectation of $5.15 billion.
• The company is increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $0.90, with a dividend yield of 0.4% and a payout ratio of 14.35%.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 101,273 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,677 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $19,465,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,190,462 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,102,000 after purchasing an additional 11,386 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,083,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,166,000 after purchasing an additional 57,358 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $209,149,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,470,680 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,717,000 after purchasing an additional 118,230 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,327,653 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,920,000 after purchasing an additional 19,679 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,361 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.56, for a total value of $4,540,494.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 227,968 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,456,878.08. This trade represents a 8.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 148,121 shares of company stock valued at $30,849,036. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $145.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Scotiabank started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $213.73.

Vistra Stock Up 3.1%

VST stock traded up $6.60 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $217.88. 4,803,841 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,785,088. The company has a market cap of $73.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.75, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.33. The firm's 50-day moving average is $198.11 and its 200-day moving average is $164.87. 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 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 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.