Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Holdings Trimmed by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,334,385 shares of the company's stock after selling 421,266 shares during the period. Vistra makes up 2.3% of River Road Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 1.21% of Vistra worth $166,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VST. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at about $223,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Vistra by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 458,182 shares of the company's stock worth $10,653,000 after purchasing an additional 11,136 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 23,939,759 shares of the company's stock worth $556,597,000 after purchasing an additional 534,299 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 26,786 shares of the company's stock worth $623,000 after purchasing an additional 3,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its position in shares of Vistra by 44.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 39,151 shares of the company's stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 12,108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $15,069,030.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Vistra 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $15,069,030.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock traded up $1.05 on Wednesday, reaching $68.65. 4,545,206 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,017,096. The firm's 50 day moving average is $60.15 and its 200-day moving average is $44.74. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $22.67 and a one year high of $75.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18 and a beta of 1.05.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 24.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research 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 report 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 report on Monday, March 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.50.

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.