PointState Capital LP Acquires New Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

PointState Capital LP bought a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 335,948 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,823,000. Vistra comprises approximately 0.7% of PointState Capital LP's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. PointState Capital LP owned about 0.10% of Vistra as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company's stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company's stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company's stock worth $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock traded up $7.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $161.31. 5,260,684 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,837,155. The company has a market capitalization of $54.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $103.22. 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 Corp. has a 52-week low of $36.17 and a 52-week high of $168.67.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group cut 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. Guggenheim upped their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $149.10.

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.