Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Invests $12.58 Million in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 91,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,577,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock 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 issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This 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 at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:VST traded down $0.89 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $165.72. The stock had a trading volume of 7,811,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,341,102. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.11. The company has a market capitalization of $56.38 billion, a PE ratio of 30.92, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $43.99 and a twelve month high of $199.84. 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 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 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is 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.