Wedbush Securities Inc. Buys 4,038 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 46.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,792 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,038 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $286,414,000. Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $149,451,000. Finally, D1 Capital Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $92,649,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $160.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $176.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,259,158.22. This represents a 33.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock traded down $3.85 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $196.27. 4,913,991 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,842,027. The company's fifty day moving average is $177.90 and its 200-day moving average is $153.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $66.60 billion, a PE ratio of 30.86, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.26. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $66.50 and a 52 week high of $207.12.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th were issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 14.15%.

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.