Entropy Technologies LP Sells 4,278 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Entropy Technologies LP cut its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,300 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,278 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $5,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in 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 period. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST opened at $166.71 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $157.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $42.22 and a 52-week high of $199.84.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, 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 transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.