Townsquare Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 17.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,705 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 867 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP grew its holdings in Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Vistra by 61.1% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,346,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,635,000 after buying an additional 510,465 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’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 owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VST. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $174.00 to $154.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $166.17.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $115.26 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $64.26 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The company has a market cap of $39.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $127.80 and its 200 day moving average is $141.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.62%.

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.