EP Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires New Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 7,855 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $931,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Vistra Trading Down 4.6 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $141.55 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.29. The company has a market capitalization of $48.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $36.47 and a 52-week high of $168.67.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. 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 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on VST. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

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.