Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Bought by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 58.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 315,464 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 116,226 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Vistra worth $43,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Appaloosa LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,779,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $245,387,000 after purchasing an additional 194,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $237,441,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE VST opened at $119.05 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $64.26 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $147.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.96. 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 business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on VST. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.