Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Boosts Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 15.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 99,959 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,706 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $11,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $898,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,321,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $173.73 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.83. The company has a market capitalization of $58.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $66.50 and a 1 year high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VST. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective (up previously from $172.00) on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.08.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,259,158.22. This represents a 33.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 269,000 shares of company stock worth $43,169,740 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.