Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 10.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 353,534 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,740 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $68,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its position in Vistra by 132.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. City State Bank raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 210.0% during the second quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,935 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.53, for a total value of $4,091,535.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,074 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,563,433.22. The trade was a 7.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,137,265.25. The trade was a 21.07% 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 valued at $173,242,584 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $177.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $192.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.55. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $90.51 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The stock has a market cap of $60.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.95, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $233.20.

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.