RWC Asset Management LLP Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

RWC Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 143,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,762,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VST. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Umpqua Bank raised its holdings in Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on VST. Morgan Stanley increased 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of 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 started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock opened at $150.51 on Monday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $46.18 and a 1 year high of $199.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The business’s 50-day moving average is $160.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.74.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

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.