Assetmark Inc. Grows Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,779,846 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 194,404 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $245,387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $126.89 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $56.92 and a 1-year high of $199.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $43.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $159.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.12.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, 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 transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $166.73.

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.