Sapient Capital LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Sapient Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,066,280 shares of the company’s stock after selling 107,215 shares during the quarter. Vistra accounts for about 2.8% of Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Sapient Capital LLC owned approximately 0.31% of Vistra worth $147,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $248,000. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $849,000 after buying an additional 1,514 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Vistra by 126.2% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its stake in Vistra by 113.4% in the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 2,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 554.0% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $659,000 after purchasing an additional 4,709 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST opened at $168.33 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $57.27 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $157.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $126.90. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $42.22 and a 12 month high of $199.84.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.