KBC Group NV Boosts Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,475 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,673 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Vistra were worth $4,064,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company's stock worth $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Vistra by 51.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company's stock valued at $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Vistra by 36.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP raised its stake in Vistra by 33.5% during the third quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 654,568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP raised its stake in Vistra by 60.1% during the third quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,898,000 after purchasing an additional 797,894 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST stock opened at $176.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $59.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.89, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.82. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $40.78 and a one year high of $199.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related 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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 directly owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by 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.