Denali Advisors LLC Purchases 17,025 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 52.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,522 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,025 shares during the quarter. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $6,828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $231,000. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $17,781,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on VST. UBS Group raised their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. 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 for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 3.4 %

NYSE:VST opened at $137.86 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $46.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $48.22 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.60.

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 given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra 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.