Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Bought by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS raised its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 160,673 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,782 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Vistra were worth $22,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Down 7.8 %

Shares of VST stock traded down $12.67 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $150.51. 9,944,101 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,996,157. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $46.18 and a 1 year high of $199.84. The stock has a market cap of $51.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $160.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.92.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Vistra's payout ratio is 16.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.64.

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.