Blue Trust Inc. Acquires 2,704 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 29.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,758 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,704 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,621,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $433,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the company's stock worth $450,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 619.0% during the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 870 shares of the company's stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Vistra by 55.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 2,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT raised its position in shares of Vistra by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT now owns 187,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,864,000 after purchasing an additional 8,600 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST traded up $12.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $149.41. The company had a trading volume of 20,891,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,916,235. 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 company has a market capitalization of $50.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $40.54 and a twelve month high of $199.84. The company's 50-day moving average is $156.00 and its 200-day moving average is $120.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock 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 often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction 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 $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 is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 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.