Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Acquired by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 21.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,918 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,567 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $7,434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VST. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,609,000 after buying an additional 1,293,974 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 6.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 36.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Up 1.9 %

VST stock opened at $132.26 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $152.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.99 billion, a PE ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $64.26 and a 12 month 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.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

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.