Empire Life Investments Inc. Purchases Shares of 194,266 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Empire Life Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 194,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,028,000. Vistra accounts for about 1.4% of Empire Life Investments Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Empire Life Investments Inc. owned about 0.06% of Vistra at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VST. Interchange Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Vistra by 4.2% during the third quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,883 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 2,666 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in Vistra by 38.6% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 557 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apella Capital LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 4.9% during the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the company's stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 4.4 %

VST stock traded down $5.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $119.51. The stock had a trading volume of 5,979,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,401,031. The company's 50-day moving average price is $108.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $41.06 billion, a PE ratio of 87.88 and a beta of 1.09. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $33.84 and a 12-month high of $143.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 21.05%. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. UBS Group dropped their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. 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 note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $145.40.

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.