Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Has $2.56 Million Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY reduced its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,796 shares of the company’s stock after selling 865 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 122.6% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 2,681 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in Vistra by 168.8% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 1,094 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Vistra by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,004,000 after acquiring an additional 5,593 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $186.28 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.06. The stock has a market cap of $63.21 billion, a PE ratio of 29.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $66.50 and a 12 month high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were paid a $0.225 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 18th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a “strong-buy” rating and a $216.00 price target for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $5,650,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company 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.