Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Reduces Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 82.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,451 shares of the company’s stock after selling 164,235 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $4,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,030.0% in the fourth quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 213 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,611.8% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 291 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of VST opened at $173.68 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $58.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.40, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $66.50 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $143.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.25.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.225 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 14.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.80, for a total value of $3,136,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 325,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,990,105.60. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 218,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,259,158.22. The trade was a 33.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490 over the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra 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.