Assetmark Inc. Increases Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,779,846 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 194,404 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc. owned approximately 0.52% of Vistra worth $245,387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 10,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 1,160.0% during the fourth quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 105,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,519,000 after buying an additional 96,952 shares in the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $340,000. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Vistra by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,640,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,181,000 after buying an additional 85,904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 78.8% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 35,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,855,000 after acquiring an additional 15,516 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 2.4 %

Vistra stock opened at $126.89 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.17 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $56.92 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $159.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.12.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Company 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.