Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Sold by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP trimmed its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 52.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 390,128 shares of the company’s stock after selling 436,872 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $53,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 57.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $854,000 after acquiring an additional 3,611 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Vistra by 1,358.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,918 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Vistra by 21.9% during the second quarter. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP now owns 535,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,006,000 after purchasing an additional 96,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Vistra by 9.3% during the second quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 1,327,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,105,000 after purchasing an additional 113,108 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the 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 owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.50.

Vistra Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $171.10 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $39.08 and a 52 week high of $178.40. The company’s 50 day moving average is $151.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.99. The company has a market cap of $58.21 billion, a PE ratio of 31.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. 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 announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often 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 was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.60%.

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.