Ascent Group LLC Sells 11,770 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Ascent Group LLC decreased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 42.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,863 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,770 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $3,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 0.2%

VST stock opened at $202.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $200.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $170.34. The company has a market cap of $68.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $90.51 and a twelve month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. Analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a $0.226 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders sold 358,274 shares of company stock valued at $73,886,457 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Scotiabank began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Melius began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Melius Research raised Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Daiwa America raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.21.

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.