Independent Advisor Alliance Increases Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 345.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 51,209 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 39,708 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Vistra were worth $6,070,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in Vistra by 84.6% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 44.0% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 3,288 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the first quarter worth approximately $348,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 17.4% during the 1st 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $161.92 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $55.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.21, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.09. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $34.61 and a fifty-two week high of $168.67. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $127.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.11. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

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.