Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Acquired by Wealth Effects LLC

Wealth Effects LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 36.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,035 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Wealth Effects LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank increased its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 28.3 %

NYSE:VST opened at $136.96 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $40.54 and a 12-month high of $199.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.79. The firm has a market cap of $46.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.55, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The company had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.