Harbert Fund Advisors Inc. Buys Shares of 5,375 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Harbert Fund Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $741,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock worth $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in Vistra by 61.1% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,346,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $185,635,000 after acquiring an additional 510,465 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Vistra Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VST traded up $2.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $111.72. 5,250,949 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,905,322. The stock has a market cap of $38.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $64.26 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $133.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.35.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on VST. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $159.69.

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.