Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Increases Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 86.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 91,651 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 42,583 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Vistra were worth $3,530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VST. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 160.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 2.9 %

VST traded up $2.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $72.47. 4,966,942 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,068,950. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $62.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $22.67 and a 12-month high of $75.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95 and a beta of 1.05.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($1.02). The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 3.61 earnings per share 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 paid a $0.215 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $67.20.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at $9,470,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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.