Wright Investors Service Inc. Boosts Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Wright Investors Service Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 45.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 43,422 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,568 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VST. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 19,070.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,566,621 shares of the company's stock worth $214,426,000 after purchasing an additional 5,537,584 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $57,218,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 2,443.7% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,781,440 shares of the company's stock worth $41,418,000 after acquiring an additional 1,711,407 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Vistra by 509.3% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,734,590 shares of the company's stock worth $57,554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,449,905 shares during the period. Finally, PointState Capital LP acquired a new stake in Vistra during the first quarter worth about $32,716,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 approximately $15,069,030.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Vistra news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE:VST traded down $2.79 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $65.86. 7,845,005 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,054,813. The company has a market capitalization of $22.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 1.05. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $22.67 and a 12 month high of $75.89. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $60.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.89.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $67.20.

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.