Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $448.32 Million Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 1.11% of Vistra worth $448,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.2% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 4.2% during the third quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, 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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $154.16 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $35.99 and a 12-month high of $168.67. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $134.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.80. The company has a market cap of $52.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.76, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

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

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.