Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 4,872 Shares of Vistra Corp. $VST

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 6.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 67,940 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,872 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Vistra were worth $13,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,228,880,000 after purchasing an additional 226,514 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Vistra by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,392,299,000 after buying an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC raised its position in Vistra by 40.5% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,253,896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,864,931 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $930,080,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,390,000 after purchasing an additional 913,350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $164.19 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $166.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $186.25. The firm has a market cap of $55.63 billion, a PE ratio of 59.27, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. Research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a $0.227 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.85%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,137,265.25. This trade represents a 21.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total transaction of $9,456,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 166,680 shares of company stock worth $28,761,790. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 price objective on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.20.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.