BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Boosts Stock Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 55.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,232 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,220 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA increased its position in shares of Vistra by 132.0% during the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank increased its position in shares of Vistra by 210.0% during the second quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vistra

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on VST. Wall Street Zen cut Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Daiwa America raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $229.93.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $189.34 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $90.51 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $199.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.70. The firm has a market cap of $64.15 billion, a PE ratio of 30.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 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 net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.227 dividend. This is a boost 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

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.