Artemis Investment Management LLP Lowers Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Artemis Investment Management LLP trimmed its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 52.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 390,128 shares of the company's stock after selling 436,872 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned about 0.11% of Vistra worth $53,787,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company's stock worth $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Vistra by 1,358.2% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company's stock worth $105,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,918 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 315.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company's stock worth $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock traded down $2.90 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $171.10. 8,254,135 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,420,974. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $151.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $39.08 and a 1 year high of $178.40.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.