ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC Sells 5,205 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC cut its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 690,140 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,205 shares during the period. Vistra accounts for 1.0% of ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC owned about 0.20% of Vistra worth $81,809,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Vistra by 115.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,488 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143,918 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 315.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,096,000 after acquiring an additional 893,093 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 121.1% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,536,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,082,000 after acquiring an additional 841,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP increased its stake in Vistra by 60.1% in the third quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,898,000 after acquiring an additional 797,894 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $159.84 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $54.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s fifty day moving average is $133.51 and its 200 day moving average is $102.37. 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 12-month low of $34.89 and a 12-month high of $168.67.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.