Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,305,416 shares of the company’s stock after selling 27,964 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.97% of Vistra worth $455,717,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $117.53 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $64.26 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The company has a market capitalization of $39.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average of $146.31 and a 200 day moving average of $141.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company 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.