CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Boosts Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT increased its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 187,600 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,600 shares during the quarter. Vistra comprises about 1.7% of CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT owned 0.06% of Vistra worth $25,864,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 189.0% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 47,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,074,000 after buying an additional 30,988 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in Vistra by 78.6% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 55,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,761,000 after acquiring an additional 24,375 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $312,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Vistra by 384.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 297,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,575,000 after purchasing an additional 236,012 shares during the period. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 64.3% in the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 66,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,078 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of VST opened at $191.01 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $39.69 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The firm has a market cap of $64.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.64, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $156.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.07. 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 (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim boosted 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. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $168.20.

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.