12,369 Shares in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Bought by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 12,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,466,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank raised its position in Vistra by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:VST opened at $145.13 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $37.31 and a one year high of $168.67. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $139.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.08, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.16. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

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