SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda Acquires New Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 83,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,878,000. Vistra accounts for 1.3% of SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $1.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $146.25. The stock had a trading volume of 1,109,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,769,276. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $139.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.85. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $37.38 and a one year high of $168.67. The stock has a market cap of $49.76 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.16. 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 declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

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.