Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Takes $27.53 Million Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VSTFree Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 199,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,531,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.06% of Vistra as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank increased its position in Vistra by 2.2% during the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 3.0% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 2,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the 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 $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of VST opened at $173.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.16 billion, a PE ratio of 32.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $151.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.21. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $39.08 and a 1 year high of $178.40.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on VST

Vistra Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Vistra (NYSE:VST)

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