First American Bank Boosts Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

First American Bank boosted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 25.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 18,845 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,777 shares during the period. First American Bank’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 12.4 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $129.87 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $44.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.23, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $49.74 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $160.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.67.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm 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 an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program 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 programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.