Mariner Investment Group LLC Takes Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Mariner Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 44,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,167,000. Vistra comprises 2.0% of Mariner Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VST. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,611.8% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 6.1%

Shares of VST opened at $193.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.26. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $66.50 and a 12-month high of $200.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $175.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.70.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 14.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $160.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.92.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $8,792,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,136,200. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 75,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.