Scotia Capital Inc. Acquires 5,629 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Scotia Capital Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 55.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,869 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,629 shares during the quarter. Scotia Capital Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $2,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 61.1% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,346,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,635,000 after buying an additional 510,465 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $111.72 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $64.26 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. 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 market capitalization of $38.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $133.17 and a 200 day moving average of $141.35.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.2235 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on VST shares. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $174.00 to $154.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.