Kovack Advisors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Kovack Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 87,246 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,361 shares during the quarter. Vistra accounts for approximately 0.7% of Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $6,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Vistra by 142.2% in the 4th quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 54,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,117,000 after buying an additional 32,276 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its position in Vistra by 90.4% in the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 327,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,867,000 after buying an additional 155,533 shares during the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $773,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in Vistra by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 145,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,617,000 after buying an additional 5,619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $831,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Lisa Crutchfield purchased 335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $89.46 per share, for a total transaction of $29,969.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 32,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,879,359.56. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST traded up $4.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $91.72. 3,356,679 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,079,003. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $89.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.18. The firm has a market cap of $31.87 billion, a PE ratio of 56.27 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.06, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $25.88 and a 52 week high of $107.24.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 24.72%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 3.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 19th were paid a $0.218 dividend. This represents a $0.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $79.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vistra from $86.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Guggenheim upgraded Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.83.

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.