Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Boosts Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in Vistra Corp. by 63.2% during the second quarter, owning 7,443 shares valued at approximately $1.44 million by the end of the quarter.
• CEO James A. Burke sold 21,370 shares of Vistra stock recently, leading to a 7.15% decrease in his position, while insiders collectively sold over 547,000 shares worth about $112.6 million in the last three months.
• Equities analysts have a consensus rating of "Buy" for Vistra Corp., with an average price target of $227.58, indicating expectations for significant growth in the company's stock value.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 63.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,443 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,883 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,443,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at $209,149,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Vistra by 2,341.6% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 865,562 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,755,000 after acquiring an additional 830,111 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 102.5% during the first quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 973,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $114,309,000 after purchasing an additional 492,765 shares during the last quarter. 140 Summer Partners LP bought a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at $56,876,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Vistra by 52.2% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 943,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,761,000 after purchasing an additional 323,264 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,370 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.58, for a total transaction of $4,393,244.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 277,315 shares in the company, valued at $57,010,417.70. This trade represents a 7.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 547,510 shares of company stock worth $112,585,800. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on VST shares. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Cowen started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $227.58.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $210.96 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $200.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.48 billion, a PE ratio of 33.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.33. 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 Corp. has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th were issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Vistra 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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