Gunderson Capital Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Gunderson Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,427 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,026 shares during the period. Vistra accounts for about 2.9% of Gunderson Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Gunderson Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $5,987,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $162.63 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $38.95 and a 1 year high of $169.19. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $147.78 and its 200 day moving average is $114.31. The stock has a market cap of $55.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by 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.