EP Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $931,000 in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $931,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 65.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,973 shares of the company's stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 1,965 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $227,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $197,000. PGGM Investments lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 17.3% in the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 48,496 shares of the company's stock worth $4,170,000 after buying an additional 7,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 3.2 %

VST traded up $4.48 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $146.00. The company had a trading volume of 6,117,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,806,739. The business's fifty day moving average price is $138.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.29. 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 cap of $49.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $36.81 and a 12 month high of $168.67.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $149.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.