Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. experienced a dramatic rise in short interest, with a total of 8,210,000 shares short sold as of July 15th, representing a growth of 146,507.1% from the previous month's total.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226, with a total annualized dividend yield of 0.4% based on the new payout.
• Institutional investors hold a substantial 90.88% of Vistra's stock, signaling strong investor confidence in the company.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 8,210,000 shares, agrowthof146,507.1% from the June 30th total of 5,600 shares. Approximately2.4% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 5,590,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Based on an average trading volume of 5,590,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately2.4% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.69.

Vistra Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of VST stock traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $208.93. 3,916,032 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,348,594. The business has a 50 day moving average of $183.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. Vistra has a 52 week low of $66.50 and a 52 week high of $213.05. The company has a market capitalization of $70.89 billion, a PE ratio of 32.86, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.26.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.15%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $5,650,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total value of $8,792,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,136,200. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 100.5% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 10,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 5,091 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in Vistra by 878.1% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 112,463 shares of the company's stock worth $15,505,000 after purchasing an additional 100,965 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 75.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 18,732 shares of the company's stock worth $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 8,039 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 17,278 shares of the company's stock worth $2,382,000 after purchasing an additional 2,098 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,692 shares of the company's stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% 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.

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