abrdn plc Has $15.10 Million Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

abrdn plc lowered its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 392,031 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,295 shares during the quarter. abrdn plc’s holdings in Vistra were worth $15,101,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 160.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth $64,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $70.46 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $22.67 and a 1 year high of $75.89. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.81. The company has a market cap of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). The company had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VST. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total value of $5,114,019.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.