J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Sells 23,264 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lowered its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,272 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,264 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Vistra were worth $3,209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company's stock worth $1,174,326,000 after purchasing an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Vistra by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock worth $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $409,087,000. Appaloosa LP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $286,414,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

VST traded up $4.13 on Thursday, reaching $124.13. The company had a trading volume of 5,432,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,900,479. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $123.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.64. The company has a market cap of $42.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $66.50 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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 issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $134.00 price target for the company. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given 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 $166.17.

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.