Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Holdings Lifted by United Asset Strategies Inc.

United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,144 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake 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 valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank lifted its holdings in Vistra by 2.2% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.20.

Vistra Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $191.01 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $39.69 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The company has a market cap of $64.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.47.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The company had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding 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 a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.