Empire Life Investments Inc. Raises Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Empire Life Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 195,947 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,681 shares during the period. Vistra makes up approximately 1.7% of Empire Life Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Empire Life Investments Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Vistra worth $27,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VST. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,920 shares during the period. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $17,781,000. Finally, Legal Advantage Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $565,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $167.59 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $44.25 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.78. The company has a market cap of $57.02 billion, a PE ratio of 31.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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.