Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 527,579 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 43.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,755,723 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 527,579 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Vistra were worth $208,122,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 1,505.9% in the third 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. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth about $26,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 125.0% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $142.15 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $34.25 and a 1 year high of $149.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $119.52 and its 200-day moving average is $97.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a share 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 typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. 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 research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

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.