Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. cut its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 248,952 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,677 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Vistra worth $48,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $209,149,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Vistra by 2,341.6% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 865,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,755,000 after acquiring an additional 830,111 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 102.5% in the first quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 973,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,309,000 after purchasing an additional 492,765 shares during the last quarter. 140 Summer Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth $56,876,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 52.2% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 943,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,761,000 after purchasing an additional 323,264 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total transaction of $8,991,697.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. This represents a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 723,910 shares of company stock valued at $148,086,569. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $188.36 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $199.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.69. The firm has a market cap of $63.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.04, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its 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. Research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.227 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Melius Research raised Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Cowen assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Melius initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $229.93.

Vistra 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.