Bank of Nova Scotia Increases Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 188.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 112,126 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 73,223 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Vistra were worth $15,459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group raised its position in Vistra by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Century Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 2,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Vistra Trading Down 7.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $109.30 on Friday. 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 has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $134.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.40. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $64.26 and a 1 year high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on VST shares. 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 target price for the company. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.23.

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.