Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Buys Shares of 9,640 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 9,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,143,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $842,000. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.4% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company's stock worth $8,296,000 after buying an additional 7,747 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 50,380 shares of the company's stock worth $5,972,000 after acquiring an additional 5,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,185,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Down 2.8 %

VST stock traded down $4.69 during trading on Friday, hitting $161.92. 6,993,281 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,276,087. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.21, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.09. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $34.61 and a 1 year high of $168.67.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. 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. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.