Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,843 shares of the company’s stock after selling 880 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the first quarter valued at $26,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST traded up $0.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $85.43. 3,947,053 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,613,806. The company has a market capitalization of $29.68 billion, a PE ratio of 52.40 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.90 and its 200-day moving average is $76.92. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $30.36 and a 52-week high of $107.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.69). The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th will be issued a $0.2195 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $109.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $79.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Guggenheim raised Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lisa Crutchfield purchased 335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $89.46 per share, for a total transaction of $29,969.10. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 32,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,879,359.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company 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.