Mutual Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,471 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $3,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in 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 period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST opened at $191.70 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $39.13 and a 52 week high of $199.84. The stock has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.76, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The company had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on VST shares. 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. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.20.

About Vistra

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.