Jennison Associates LLC Decreases Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Jennison Associates LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,685,989 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,737 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC owned 0.50% of Vistra worth $330,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 193,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,888,000 after acquiring an additional 19,547 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 26.5% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 5,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $989,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 18.2% in the third quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,704,000 after buying an additional 6,054 shares in the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $300,000. Finally, Olympiad Research LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $279,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $160.08 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $167.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.84. The firm has a market cap of $54.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a $0.227 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.85%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares in the company, valued at $13,842,690.90. This trade represents a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. The trade was a 21.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 196,794 shares of company stock valued at $34,784,876. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vistra from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.20.

Vistra Company 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.