Wealthfront Advisers LLC Purchases Shares of 73,434 Vistra Corp. $VST

Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 73,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,649,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFC Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $817,000. Deepwater Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,327,000. Aljian Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth approximately $1,055,000. Energy Income Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth approximately $75,698,000. Finally, K2 Principal Fund L.P. purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth approximately $1,917,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST opened at $142.44 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.06 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $154.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.11.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $226.00.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.