Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Alkeon Capital Management LLC

Alkeon Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 49.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,221,890 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,193,110 shares during the quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC owned about 0.65% of Vistra worth $263,383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 17.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 640,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,645,000 after acquiring an additional 94,842 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,675,000. PGGM Investments raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 559.2% in the first quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 41,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,879,000 after buying an additional 35,065 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 588.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 91,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,379,000 after buying an additional 78,283 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 63.7% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 25,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,754,000 after buying an additional 9,801 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 5.0 %

VST stock opened at $154.52 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $34.88 and a one year high of $168.67. 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’s fifty day moving average is $131.23 and its 200 day moving average is $101.40. The firm has a market cap of $52.57 billion, a PE ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on 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 Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Vistra

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.