BNP Paribas Makes New $4.54 Million Investment in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 38,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,538,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP lifted its position in Vistra by 35.5% during the third quarter. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP now owns 725,089 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,952,000 after buying an additional 190,015 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 60.1% in the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,898,000 after acquiring an additional 797,894 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 17,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,082,000 after acquiring an additional 5,788 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 135.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 1,116,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,324,000 after acquiring an additional 641,893 shares during the period. Finally, Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $519,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

VST opened at $162.63 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $55.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $129.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.03. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $34.70 and a 12-month high of $168.67.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Vistra

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.