Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stake Lifted by Kestra Investment Management LLC

Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 136.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,836 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 9,133 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in Vistra were worth $1,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VST. Lone Pine Capital LLC grew its position in Vistra by 6.6% during the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $587,932,000 after acquiring an additional 425,126 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company's stock worth $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares during the period. Castle Hook Partners LP increased its position in Vistra by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company's stock worth $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 654,568 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Vistra by 60.1% in the third quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,898,000 after buying an additional 797,894 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Vistra by 43.0% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,755,723 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,122,000 after buying an additional 527,579 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $149.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 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 business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 3.4 %

NYSE VST traded up $5.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $159.84. 2,475,784 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,417,769. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.38 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.09. 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 12 month low of $34.89 and a 12 month high of $168.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.33.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.