Virtus Investment Advisers LLC Has $2.12 Million Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Virtus Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 15.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,943 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,449 shares during the quarter. Vistra comprises 0.7% of Virtus Investment Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its position in shares of 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 period. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. City State Bank boosted its holdings in Vistra by 210.0% in the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of VST opened at $177.14 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $90.51 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $192.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.55. The firm has a market cap of $60.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.30.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%.The business had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.227 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price objective on the stock. Daiwa America raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $233.20.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 868,339 shares of company stock worth $173,242,584 over the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.