Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Takes Position in Vistra Corp. $VST

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,493,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth $3,058,000. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 48.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $125,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $243,000. Finally, Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $1,241,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $160.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The stock has a market cap of $54.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.79, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $167.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $186.84.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%.The business had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.227 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 32.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total value of $1,424,763.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,842,690.90. This trade represents a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 196,794 shares of company stock valued at $34,784,876. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.20.

Vistra Profile

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.