Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. Increases Holdings in Vistra Corp. $VST

Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. lifted its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 152.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,998 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,043 shares during the quarter. Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth about $29,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $152.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $159.93 and a 200 day moving average of $172.68. The firm has a market cap of $51.80 billion, a PE ratio of 70.50, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.49. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $103.34 and a one year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The company had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th were given a $0.228 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.87.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra 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.