Bank of Montreal Can Has $63.05 Million Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 80.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 535,553 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 238,097 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Vistra were worth $63,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vision Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,960,000. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its position in Vistra by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 220,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,130,000 after buying an additional 150,233 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in Vistra by 335.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 3,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 2,513 shares during the period. DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,860,000. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in Vistra by 345.3% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 51,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,070,000 after buying an additional 39,708 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on 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 Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $154.54 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $129.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.03. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $34.88 and a fifty-two week high of $168.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

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.