Diversify Advisory Services LLC Acquires Shares of 28,656 Vistra Corp. $VST

Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 28,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,501,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $746,729,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $574,499,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $381,938,000. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $322,660,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $140.39 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $154.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. As a group, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $228.56.

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.