Wright Investors Service Inc. Takes $359,000 Position 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. bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total transaction of $8,991,697.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 190,847 shares of company stock worth $39,921,480. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST traded down $10.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $207.70. 3,602,574 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,766,893. The company has a market capitalization of $70.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $198.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.60. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a 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 presently 14.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Melius initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $213.00.

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.