Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 1,044 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,761 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,044 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,069,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VST. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Vistra by 160.7% in the 4th 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. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $15,069,030.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at $11,536,508.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Vistra Price Performance

VST opened at $72.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.18. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $22.67 and a 52-week high of $75.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.21 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.98.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its 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). Vistra had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 20.05%. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $0.215 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 24.02%.

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 states in the United States and the District of Columbia.