Berbice Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 900 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. RFG Advisory LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $238,000. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $2,135,000. New Century Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 2,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $3,447,000. Finally, 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 during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on VST shares. UBS Group lifted 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. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $193.38 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $155.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.39. 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 one year low of $39.69 and a one year high of $199.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.79 billion, a PE ratio of 36.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.