New York State Common Retirement Fund Decreases Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 143,625 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,940 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Vistra were worth $19,802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Planning lifted its position in Vistra by 33.3% during the 3rd 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. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 12.6% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.8% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $992,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 14,657.2% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 420,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,856,000 after purchasing an additional 417,730 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

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 transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $150.51 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $46.18 and a one year high of $199.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $160.19 and its 200-day moving average is $132.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

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.