Navellier & Associates Inc. Sells 7,293 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Navellier & Associates Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 109,278 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,293 shares during the period. Vistra comprises about 1.8% of Navellier & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Navellier & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $12,954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. L & S Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,338,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 284,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,741,000 after purchasing an additional 77,991 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,143,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $237,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.40.

Vistra Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE:VST opened at $157.70 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $34.25 and a 12 month high of $157.72. The stock has a market cap of $53.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $124.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

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.