Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Carmel Capital Management L.L.C.

Carmel Capital Management L.L.C. lowered its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 255,439 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,650 shares during the period. Vistra makes up about 13.3% of Carmel Capital Management L.L.C.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Carmel Capital Management L.L.C. owned approximately 0.08% of Vistra worth $35,217,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE VST opened at $191.70 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $39.13 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.22 billion, a PE ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $155.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.39.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.60%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $168.20.

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.