Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 43,367,228 shares of the company’s stock after selling 371,545 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of Vistra worth $5,979,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in Vistra by 616.0% in the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $130.75 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $151.74 and a 200 day moving average of $139.08. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $64.26 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The firm has a market cap of $44.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

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.