Choate Investment Advisors Grows Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Choate Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,002 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in Vistra were worth $828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST opened at $124.42 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $60.86 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $155.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.42.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade 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 accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents 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 owned by company insiders.

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.