Bridgewater Associates LP Has $132.32 Million Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 135.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,116,282 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 641,893 shares during the period. Vistra accounts for approximately 0.7% of Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $132,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 44.0% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $749,000 after purchasing an additional 3,288 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Vistra by 17.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 640,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,645,000 after buying an additional 94,842 shares during the last quarter. Castleark Management LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the first quarter worth $297,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 1,493.6% in the first quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 114,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,958,000 after acquiring an additional 107,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. 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 an average target price of $149.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 5.5 %

VST stock opened at $162.63 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $128.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $34.70 and a fifty-two week high of $168.67. 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows 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 board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About Vistra

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.