Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Purchased by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,525 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 564 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Vistra were worth $624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RWC Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,762,000. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 2,030.0% during the 4th quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 213 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Colonial River Investments LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Colonial River Investments LLC now owns 7,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $999,000 after buying an additional 966 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,222,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,070,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VST. Morgan Stanley upped 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $133.85 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.67. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $53.02 and a 12-month high of $199.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a market cap of $45.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.97, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.