Merit Financial Group LLC Buys New Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $178.00 target price (up previously from $172.00) on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.08.

Vistra Trading Down 2.3%

Vistra stock opened at $169.57 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $137.64 and a 200-day moving average of $144.88. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $66.50 and a one year high of $199.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $57.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 18th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 14.15%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 255,192 shares in the company, valued at $44,084,418. This represents a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 269,000 shares of company stock worth $43,169,740. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.