MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. Purchases Shares of 10,251 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 10,251 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,215,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth $34,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

VST traded up $4.48 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $146.00. 6,117,906 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,806,739. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $36.81 and a 12-month high of $168.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $49.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on VST shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $149.10.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were 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. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

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.