Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 91,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,577,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Vistra by 51.1% in the third 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. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,898,000 after acquiring an additional 797,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP lifted its position in Vistra by 33.5% during the third quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after acquiring an additional 654,568 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $166.71 on Monday. 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 Corp. has a twelve month low of $42.22 and a twelve month high of $199.84. The company’s 50 day moving average is $157.42 and its 200 day moving average is $126.21. The company has a market cap of $56.72 billion, a PE ratio of 31.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on VST. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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.