Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Increases Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 85.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 155,144 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 71,373 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $21,390,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in Vistra by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Appaloosa LP increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 654,568 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $130.75 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $64.26 and a 12-month high of $199.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $151.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.21. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

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.