Values First Advisors Inc. Reduces Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Values First Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,803 shares of the company’s stock after selling 666 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $662,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $849,000 after buying an additional 1,514 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $30,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $40,000. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 33.3% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,681,000 after acquiring an additional 7,753 shares during the period. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $166.51 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $42.34 and a 1 year high of $199.84. The firm has a market cap of $56.65 billion, a PE ratio of 31.07, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.85.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.64.

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.