National Pension Service Sells 61,773 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

National Pension Service lessened its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 626,597 shares of the company’s stock after selling 61,773 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.18% of Vistra worth $86,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in Vistra by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 49,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,828,000 after acquiring an additional 17,025 shares in the last quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,805,000. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Longbow Finance SA acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,947,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 254,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,122,000 after purchasing an additional 4,796 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Up 7.2 %

Shares of VST stock opened at $147.84 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $50.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $48.22 and a one year high of $199.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $160.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on VST shares. UBS Group increased their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

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.