Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Acquired by Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,335 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth $842,000. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.4% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after purchasing an additional 7,747 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Vistra by 12.4% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 50,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,972,000 after purchasing an additional 5,575 shares during the period. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at $1,185,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $161.92 on Monday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $127.24 and a 200 day moving average of $100.11. The firm has a market cap of $55.09 billion, a PE ratio of 30.21, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.09. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $34.61 and a one year high of $168.67.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

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.