Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Buys 1,293,974 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,293,974 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 1.11% of Vistra worth $453,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 11.0% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 28,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,965,000 after buying an additional 2,794 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 84.6% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.5% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 227,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,827,000 after buying an additional 3,458 shares during the last quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. bought a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth about $576,000. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter worth about $215,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 7.0 %

Shares of VST opened at $165.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.88, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.72 and a 200 day moving average of $99.36. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $34.25 and a 1-year high of $167.60.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VST. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

Vistra Company 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.