Aberdeen Group plc Boosts Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 12.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 131,980 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,697 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Vistra were worth $25,579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 132.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. boosted its position in Vistra by 275.4% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,365 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.55, for a total transaction of $4,434,305.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 269,368 shares in the company, valued at $55,907,328.40. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 463,350 shares of company stock worth $95,374,138. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $209.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $70.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $200.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.85. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Finally, Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $227.58.

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.