Mizuho Securities USA LLC Increases Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 44.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,246 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,968 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $4,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $130.75 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $44.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $151.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.08. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $64.26 and a 1-year high of $199.84. 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 firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired 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 of the company’s stock, 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 insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VST. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

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.