Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 33.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,033,897 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 261,207 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.29% of Vistra worth $39,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on VST. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was 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 directly owns 161,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total value of $5,114,019.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,069,030.52. 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 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VST traded down $2.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $75.84. 6,000,668 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,064,517. 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 company has a market cap of $26.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.28 and a beta of 1.05. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $22.67 and a one year high of $78.73. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $64.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 3.57 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.215 dividend. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.02%.

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.