Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 84.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,088 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,109 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th 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. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 616.0% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, 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 note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.64.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $147.84 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.70. The stock has a market cap of $50.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. 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 fifty-two week low of $48.22 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

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

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.