Vistra Corp. $VST Position Raised by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 80.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 348,219 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 155,234 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.10% of Vistra worth $67,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in Vistra by 1.3% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 17,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,024,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 172,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,261,000 after acquiring an additional 46,122 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 56.7% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,949 shares during the period. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth $33,292,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 72,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,491,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $51,772,476. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 860,120 shares of company stock valued at $171,817,820 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 3.2%

VST opened at $168.28 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $195.37 and a 200-day moving average of $188.22. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.30. 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 (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $4.97 billion for 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.227 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is 32.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Melius Research raised Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Cowen initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.36.

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.