Wedbush Securities Inc. Boosts Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,754 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,442 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $13,708,000. Pitcairn Co. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $202,000. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 24.9% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 737 shares during the period. Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $502,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in Vistra by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $97.76 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.78. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $64.26 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The company has a market capitalization of $33.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.