Retireful LLC Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Retireful LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 16,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,212,000. Vistra accounts for approximately 1.2% of Retireful LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 9.6% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares in the last quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $842,000. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $17,781,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 2.8 %

VST opened at $173.89 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.21. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $39.08 and a fifty-two week high of $178.40. The company has a market cap of $59.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.60%.

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