Janus Henderson Group PLC Raises Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 1.11% of Vistra worth $448,320,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Vistra by 115.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,488 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Vistra by 1,358.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,596,000 after buying an additional 1,143,918 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Vistra by 315.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Vistra by 121.1% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,536,192 shares of the company's stock worth $132,082,000 after buying an additional 841,292 shares during the period. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Vistra by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company's stock worth $251,898,000 after acquiring an additional 797,894 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VST traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $154.16. The company had a trading volume of 3,888,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,843,636. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $35.99 and a one year high of $168.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $134.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.80. The company has a market capitalization of $52.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade 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 hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, 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. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.