Hodges Capital Management Inc. Has $7.11 Million Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Hodges Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 51,571 shares of the company’s stock after selling 353 shares during the quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $7,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

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 stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $168.08 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $57.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s fifty day moving average is $156.24 and its 200 day moving average is $122.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $40.78 and a 12-month high of $199.84.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

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.