Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stake Cut by Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY trimmed its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 25.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,939 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,801 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY's holdings in Vistra were worth $2,540,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 160.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $63.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total value of $5,114,019.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,069,030.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,470,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total transaction of $5,114,019.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 1.8 %

VST stock traded up $1.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $70.75. 6,583,351 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,032,653. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.29. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $22.67 and a 12-month high of $75.89.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. The company had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were paid a $0.215 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.02%.

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.