abrdn plc Sells 96,320 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

abrdn plc reduced its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 44.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 122,246 shares of the company’s stock after selling 96,320 shares during the quarter. abrdn plc’s holdings in Vistra were worth $14,567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $842,000. Czech National Bank boosted its position in Vistra by 12.4% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,185,000. Atria Investments Inc bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter worth about $1,675,000. Finally, M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 38,929.0% in the 3rd quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 117,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,879,000 after purchasing an additional 116,787 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST opened at $119.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $41.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.88 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $107.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.32. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $33.84 and a 1-year high of $143.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 21.05%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 64.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.40.

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.