Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stock Holdings Cut by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 10.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 83,771 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,790 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $9,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VST. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Down 0.6 %

Vistra stock opened at $159.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $54.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.85, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $36.17 and a one year high of $168.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $137.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.57.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.