Investment Management Corp of Ontario Grows Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,480 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp of Ontario's holdings in Vistra were worth $4,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VST. Forum Financial Management LP increased its holdings in Vistra by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company's stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank increased its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company's stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on VST. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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 price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST traded up $5.21 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.37. 3,857,163 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,830,052. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $36.17 and a 12-month high of $168.67. The company has a market cap of $54.22 billion, a PE ratio of 30.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $135.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.22. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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.