Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Acquired by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,190,707 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 77,572 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $141,146,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,758,000 after acquiring an additional 1,356,488 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,918 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 315.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 121.1% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,536,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,082,000 after buying an additional 841,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 60.1% during the third quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,898,000 after buying an additional 797,894 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Vistra Stock Performance

VST opened at $159.84 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $54.38 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.33. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $34.89 and a fifty-two week high of $168.67.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change 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 dividend yield of 0.55%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.