PGGM Investments Boosts Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

PGGM Investments grew its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 16.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 863 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Vistra were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 160.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397 over the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $77.97 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $22.67 and a 1-year high of $78.00. The stock has a market cap of $27.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.78 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $63.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.65.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 20.05%. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 20th were issued a $0.215 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 24.02%.

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.