RWC Asset Management LLP Takes Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

RWC Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 143,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,762,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $216,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.8% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $992,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 14,657.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 420,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,856,000 after purchasing an additional 417,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Capital Group California Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $209,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 7.8 %

VST stock opened at $150.51 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $51.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.74. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $46.18 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. 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 announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.