Navellier & Associates Inc. Decreases Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Navellier & Associates Inc. cut its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 109,278 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,293 shares during the period. Vistra makes up about 1.8% of Navellier & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Navellier & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $12,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lone Pine Capital LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 6.6% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $587,932,000 after buying an additional 425,126 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 51.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,293,974 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 43.0% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,755,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,122,000 after acquiring an additional 527,579 shares during the period. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 100.5% in the first quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,720,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,798,000 after acquiring an additional 862,000 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 121.1% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,536,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,082,000 after acquiring an additional 841,292 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $157.70 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.09. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $34.25 and a 12-month high of $157.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $124.02 and a 200 day moving average of $98.90. 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 Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors 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.