CX Institutional Grows Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

CX Institutional lifted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 49.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,881 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. CX Institutional’s holdings in Vistra were worth $221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of VST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP increased its holdings in Vistra by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $173.68 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $143.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $145.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $58.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.40, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $66.50 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be given a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 75,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total value of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 218,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,259,158.22. This represents a 33.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.69.

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.