Vistra Corp. $VST Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 353,534 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,740 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.10% of Vistra worth $68,523,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.3% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 17,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,024,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 72,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,491,000 after buying an additional 634 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in Vistra by 78.4% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 52,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,179,000 after buying an additional 23,118 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 52.6% in the first quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 28.1% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 6,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Up 3.7%

VST stock opened at $177.14 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.95, a PEG ratio of 3.04 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 Corp. has a twelve month low of $90.51 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $192.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.55.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.227 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Daiwa America raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Melius began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total transaction of $8,991,697.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. This trade represents a 21.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 868,339 shares of company stock valued at $173,242,584. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.