Putnam Investments LLC Purchases 413,283 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Putnam Investments LLC boosted its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 285.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 558,161 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 413,283 shares during the quarter. Putnam Investments LLC owned about 0.15% of Vistra worth $13,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Beryl Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $3,718,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 129,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,011,000 after acquiring an additional 3,567 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Vistra by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 67,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $254,000. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $105,000. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Julie A. Lagacy bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $24.84 per share, with a total value of $248,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 16,923 shares in the company, valued at $420,367.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 107,466 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total value of $3,247,622.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 137,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,163,772.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Julie A. Lagacy purchased 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.84 per share, for a total transaction of $248,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $420,367.32. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. TheStreet raised Vistra from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, July 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vistra from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 10th.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $32.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.17. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $20.76 and a 52 week high of $34.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.99 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.70 and a 200-day moving average of $26.27.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 9th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.21. Vistra had a return on equity of 22.75% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.78 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 20th will be issued a $0.206 dividend. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 19th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.40%.

About Vistra

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 20 states in the United States and the District of Columbia.