Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Reduces Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 103,036 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,433 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $14,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VST. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 7,600.0% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,068,000 after buying an additional 15,200 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $409,087,000. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 403.0% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 49,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,838,000 after acquiring an additional 39,735 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $2,496,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in Vistra by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 27,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,760,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $119.05 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $64.26 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The company has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $147.39 and its 200-day moving average is $140.83.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.50.

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.