Riposte Capital LLC Has $14.82 Million Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Riposte Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 24.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 125,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,000 shares during the quarter. Vistra makes up 1.6% of Riposte Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Riposte Capital LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $14,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lone Pine Capital LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 6.6% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $587,932,000 after purchasing an additional 425,126 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Vistra by 51.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Castle Hook Partners LP grew its stake in Vistra by 33.5% in the third quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 654,568 shares during the period. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP grew its stake in Vistra by 60.1% in the third quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,898,000 after purchasing an additional 797,894 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 4.6 %

Vistra stock opened at $161.31 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $36.17 and a one year high of $168.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.88 billion, a PE ratio of 30.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day moving average is $136.04 and its 200 day moving average is $103.62.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. 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 price target of $149.10.

Vistra 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.