Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 5,997 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,387 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,997 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $6,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Vistra by 115.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,488 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143,918 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 315.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,096,000 after purchasing an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 121.1% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,536,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,082,000 after purchasing an additional 841,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 106.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,384,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,050,000 after purchasing an additional 713,705 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $154.14 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.76, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $127.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.11. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $34.70 and a 52-week high of $168.67.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. UBS Group reduced their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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.