Wright Investors Service Inc. Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Wright Investors Service Inc. invested approximately $359,000 in Vistra Corp., acquiring 1,854 shares during the 2nd quarter, as reported in its recent 13F filing.
• Vistra's recent earnings report showed $1.01 EPS, missing expectations significantly, and revenue of $4.25 billion, below the anticipated $5.15 billion.
• The company's quarterly dividend was increased to $0.226 per share, with a yield of 0.4%, reflecting a payout ratio of 14.35%.

Wright Investors Service Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VST. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,817,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 722.8% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 134,132 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,493,000 after buying an additional 117,830 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,352,450 shares of the company's stock worth $186,462,000 after acquiring an additional 161,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $309,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE:VST traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $211.08. 9,186,274 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,129,812. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $198.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.87. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $217.90. The company has a market cap of $71.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.34.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,303,968.75. This represents a 16.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,121 shares of company stock valued at $30,849,036. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Daiwa America raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $210.71.

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.